Blitzkrieg
by Honest Abe
Summary: Rei Kon, Lieutenant in the PLA marines, is involved in a lighning attack on Vietnam. From VietTri to Tokyo, Sanandaj to Pyongyang, a sinister conspiracy is afoot...
1. Operation Blitzkrieg

Command post Delta, Sino-Vietnamese border. 0800 hrs.

The Major called me to command post Delta in the early hours of the morning on the 25th of February 2005. I entered, saluting smartly. "Lieutenant." Said Major Chun Li, the head of the detachment of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). "I will not drag my heels. We are going to war. We-" He was cut off as I cut in, before I could help myself. "Against who, sir?" I held my tongue in check, before I put my foot in it. "Dont interrupt, Kon." Growled Major Li. " We are going to war with the Vietnamese for the defeat of our forces in 1979.Get your unit ready. The attack, code named "Blitzkrieg", will commence at 1010 hrs. You'll know the attack has begun with a ten-minute artillery barrage, followed by air strikes by SU 27's, MiG 29's, and MiG 31's. The Battlemaster tanks will smash through the border, followed by the marines. Captain Hing is in charge of your unit?" "Yes, sir." I responded. "Good. The tanks will smash through here, and your marine regiment will follow. Go and alert your men. The years of training will pay off. Go, Lieutenant."

PLA Marine Corps training camp, Sino-Vietnamese border. 0850 hrs.

50 minutes later, my men had heard and understood the situation. The next hour or so was to write a letter home, or relax and grab a meal. Some men prayed. As for me, I wrote a letter to my parents. Then I went to the shooting range to practice. I swung my AK74 down and fired at the target. Not bad. At 0900 hrs I grabbed a meal, and then told my men to get ready. My unit leader, Captain Hing, called me over. "Everything ready, Rei?" He asked. "Yes sir. The men are ready for anything!" I must have sounded too enthusiastic. The captain looked over at the Vietnamese border wearily. "I wish I was as happy as you are. The Viets won't die easily."

People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) airfield, Yang-Ho province. 0920 hrs. 

Flight Leader Ching Haotan strode across the airfield towards his SU 27 "Flanker". His flight followed behind him. The same thing was being repeated at the airbase for the MiG 29 (code name "fulcrum") and the airbase for the MiG 31 "Foxhound" fighter-bomber. "Let's teach the Viets some manners." Haotan muttered as the canopy of his fighter slid back to accommodate him.

PLA Marine Corps training camp, Sino-Vietnamese border. 0922 hrs

I sat on the step and prayed as the Battlemasters rumbled past. Buddha said "We are all gods; we need only open our eyes to our own wisdom." I believed that Buddha would watch over me. My radio suddenly crackled into life. "Lieutenant Kon, report to the helipad, over." I pressed the "talk" button. "On my way, over and out."

I waited for a gap in the seemingly endless Battlemaster tanks, and then dodged over towards the helipad and the squatting Helix 2 chopper. Captain Hing turned, spotting me. "Lieutenant. Tell the men that the attack is about to move into the final stages." "Yes sir!" As I turned to go, Hing added, "And after, come back here. There's a task I need you to do for me." I nodded and ran towards the mess hall to tell my men.

PLA Artillery platform, Xinhua Ridge. 0950 hrs. 

The artillery officer took the piece of paper from his aide, reading the scrawled orders. He turned to his guns, rapping out his own orders. "Get ready! Firing angle 00.5634! Go! Hurry! The attack starts in 20 minutes!" His men ran to the guns, loading them, moving the alignment, etc. His new Sergeant jogged over. Talking of new, the officer was new to the regiment, so he didn't really know his own men. The Sergeant arrived, breathless. "Sir, I think that we are about to receive an attack from Vietnamese aircraft." The officer's eyes widened, and the Sergeant drew a silenced type 69 pistol out of hiding and shot the officer in the chest. As the artilleryman slid to the ground, his treacherous Sergeant pulled off his PLA hat and replaced it with that of a NVPA (North Vietnamese Peoples Army) officer. The rest of the battery shed their Chinese colours. They were the 25th infiltrator group, and their job was to shell the Chinese forces from _behind_ their own lines. The only non-Vietnamese there was the dead officer. "We shall rain death on the Chinese warmongers!" Screamed the fanatical officer of the infiltrators.


	2. The First CasultiesOn both sides

Country road, between the Sino-Vietnamese border and the Xinhua ridge Artillery regiment. 0952 hrs.

The type 29 troop transporting truck bumped over the potholed country road. Everywhere there were signs of a country geared up for war. A regiment of mighty "Emperor" tanks were making their way towards the border, crunching trees like they were matchwood. It didn't take long for our truck to arrive. I had taken twenty men to lug a new piece of artillery hardware to the ridge. The truck arrived at the gate.

There was no one there. "What's going on? Where is everybody?" I asked in bewilderment to Sergeant Xung, my trusted N.C.O. "I don't know, sir, but I have a bad feeling about this." He responded. "Me too, Sarge, me too."

Xinhua ridge Artillery regiment base, Xinhua ridge. 0955 hrs   
Two of my men hauled the gate open and the truck drove into the seemingly deserted base. I ordered the men to get out. "Spread out, search the base. Whoever finds their radio report to me or Sergeant Xung."  
Viet-Tri, Vietnam. 0958hrs.  
A T-80 tank rolled to a halt outside the centre of the city of Viet-Tri in northeast Vietnam. Captain Kai Hiwatari climbed out of the turret and strode to the warehouse. After unlocking the door, he furtively slipped inside. 

Vietnamese airspace. 1005 hrs.

A flight of six SU 27 jets roared across the border with Vietnam. "Sir." Came a voice from Haotan's radio. "We have three Vietnamese MiG 21's to the west." He looked down at his radar- sure enough; there were three dots to the west of the SU 27's. "Roger, engage." The flankers banked left, opening their Russian designed engines to full throttle. Haotan opened fire with his 30 mm cannon. The shells smashed into the canopy of the lead fighter. It spiralled downwards. The second MiG, however, was quicker. The pilot pulled the fishbed down, firing an air-to-air (ATA) missile. It shot towards Haotan's SU 27. Haotan, an experienced pilot, waited until the missile was on a collision course, then wrenched his fighter to the left while realising chaff. The missile exploded into pieces as the MiG that launched it fell to an ATA missile launched by a wingman. The third MiG turned to flee, until Haotan's cannon shells crashed into his wing. He lost control of his fighter for a second. It was enough time for Haotan's cannon to explode his MiG into a burning fireball. The first casualties of the war had occurred.  
Xinhua ridge artillery regiment base, Xinhua ridge. 1008 hrs

Corporal Chung Sun opened the door of the main barracks. As soon as he entered, a hail of machine gun fire cut him down. I heard the shots and flicked off the safety of my AK. "Let's go, move!" We advanced on the barracks. A soldier appeared. I fired at him and he fell, his chest blown open. I ran to the door and threw in a grenade. After the _crump_ of the exploding grenade, we rushed into the room and shot the three men that were there. I pumped another soldier full of lead as he ran trough the doorway. Through the door we could see the artillery. This would be a hard battle.

A Vietnamese soldier sprayed rifle fire at us from behind the first gun. "Shit!" I reeled back as bullets slammed into the side of the doorway. I reached for another grenade and threw it. In the resulting explosion, a few marines and myself got into cover behind the artillery gun. We could hear the Vietnamese lead smacking into the metal of the gun and it's trailer, so we stayed down. Another marine had reached a truck parked in the open near the guns. "Sir!" He yelled across to me. "Sir! We've had a call from HQ. They've asked why the guns aren't firing. The attack has begun!"


	3. Vietnamese honour

Sino-Vietnamese border. 1010 hrs.

The "Blitzkrieg" attack started, not with an artillery barrage as expected, by a push by Battlemaster tanks. They rolled over the borderline with Vietnam. The first resistance they encountered was a loneT-75 tank. The commander of the T-75 was a fresh-faced Lieutenant, full of courage, but naïve. He stared at the approaching Battlemasters in shocked disbelief. _What?_ He thought belatedly. _The Chinese?_ He did not stop to consider the repercussions of the Chinese attack on his homeland. "They will pay for this. Move into attack position!" The crew exchanged worried glances. They would surely die if they attacked such a large force. Sensing his crew's hesitation, the commander's ebony eyes glittered. "_Move into attack position!"_ He yelled. This time the crew complied. The T-75 moved into a better position, the 80-mm cannon swivelling round to aim at the Chinese tanks. "Fire!" Ordered the Lieutenant. The cannon belched flame, echoing in the thick jungle canopy. The Chinese commander was stunned when an 80 mm shell landed in front of one of the tanks. Frantically the T-75 reloaded and fired again. This time a Battlemaster erupted into flame. The enemy T-75 was on the move again, as a stationary target in a tank battle is suicide. The Battlemaster G-84 was the next to be hit, the turret popping off like a jack in the box. But the Chinese tanks had found the range and a salvo of 85 mm shells reduced the T-75 into a heap of scrap metal. The brave Lieutenant was the first Vietnamese to be awarded a medal posthumously (after death). The Battlemasters surged on towards Viet-Tri, the Emperors close behind them.

Viet-Tri airbase, Vietnam. 1013 hrs. 

The parked MiG 21 fighters sat in the early morning sun. The few MiG 23 that the airfield had sat in the hangars. The first inkling of the strike was the destruction of a MiG 21 that was just taking off. A MiG 29 "Fulcrum" swooped out of the sun and strafed the MiG 21 with its' 30 mm cannon. The Fishbed smashed into the tarmac. 8 other MiG 29's appeared to the west, and started to strafe and blast the airbase. The MiG's attacked in 3 groups of 2 and 1 group of 3. The first group attacked with their ATS missiles, aiming for the MiG 21's on the taxiway. They exploded easily. The control tower radioed off a warning before being destroyed by the second group, dropping laser- guided bombs. The maintenance building, too, was destroyed. The final group of 2 dropped more powerful "firestorm" napalm bombs on the hangars. The floggers sat in the midst of a flaming inferno. One brave pilot leapt in his fighter and manoeuvred out of the liquid flame to the taxiway. The group of three MiG 29's destroyed him, sweeping the field with cannon fire. The few remaining aircrew and soldiers on the base raced to the one SAM (Surface to Air Missile) site that the under funded airbase had. They fired a shot into the first MiG 29 that flew overhead. The MiG's wing came apart, and the fighter ploughed into the runway. The pilot had no chance of survival. The SAM site fired a final missile into a second MiG as it lined up for a strafing run. The pilot ejected safely. Seconds later the SAM site was destroyed. The Vietnamese airbase had been reduced to ruins, with only two MiG 29's downed and one pilot killed. Vietnam had been caught unawares, but was now on alert.

Xinhua ridge artillery regiment base, Xinhua ridge. 1021 hrs.

I popped my head out of cover, and fired off several shots towards the Vietnamese men, wincing as the screams of the hit and dying reached my ears. The marine next to me was hit in the face and was instantly killed. I had by now realised that the situation was hopeless. 20 men against a whole battalion? I killed another NVPA soldier as he attempted to run forward to throw a grenade. The marine covering a wounded comrade behind me was killed. I was alone. I couldn't even shoot out of cover. Suddenly, the type 29 truck that had brought us here skidded into the melee. The canvas tarp fell off the sides and six marines, armed with AK74's and rocket launchers, and opened fire. The NVPA men were cut down were they stood. The 2 soldiers with rocket launchers destroyed the first four guns; bullets to ammunition stocks destroyed the rest. "Sir!" Came a shout from the cab. It was Sergeant Xung. "Hurry! We have to get out of here, tell HQ that our artillery has been destroyed." "Cover me!" I yelled, and I launched myself out from behind the gun. The roar of the AK74's to my right, I slid into the cab. "Hit the gas!" I shouted to Xung. "Yes sir!" And the truck spun around, with the soldiers in the back still firing, we sped through the gate and away, leaving in our wake some very angry Vietnamese to count their dead.

The Vietnamese officer could feel his life slipping away. Blast the Chinese! One of his men sprinted to him. "Sir! Are you…" The soldier's voice died as he saw the wound. "L…listen to m… me." Spluttered the officer. "You…must…escape. Your duty is not yet done. The Chinese…wi…l… send troops to finish you off…" The officer's eyes dimmed as his body was racked in waves of pain. "Escape…get to Viet-Tri…help them stem the tide…" As the officer's eyes shut for the last time, he thought he could hear the voice of his fiancée, that he could feel her gentle hands. He coughed a final time, blood spraying out of his mouth and onto the ground. The medic pronounced him dead, and the N.C.O stood up. "Let us pray."


	4. The Body Count Mounts

Viet-Tri armoured division HQ, Vietnam. 1027hrs.

The T-80 main battle tanks, or MBTs, sat in rows in North Vietnam's main tank depot awaiting orders. The commander, Colonel Yon-Trig Penh, sat in his office smoking a cheap cigar. He was bored. The Chinese attack was probably another exercise. So he was surprised when the "red phone" on his desk rang. Never mind. He pressed the loudspeaker button. "Colonel Penh here." The response came over panicked, quick. "Sir, this is Captain…" the line was interrupted-"…and we are under attack from about 120 Chinese Battlemaster's. My scouts tell me that they have Emperor tanks reinforcing them. We can't hold them alone. Send your tanks. We…" The line was cut off. The Colonel spat out his cigar. "MAJOR!" He roared. His aide, Major Kun, scurried in. "Yes, Colonel?" He whimpered. "I want every crew on this base in their tanks and out on that battlefield. I mean yesterday!" Kun looked terrified. "NOW!" Yelled the Colonel. The weaselling Major ran out, grabbing the mike for the PA system. "All crews to their tanks. I repeat, all crews to their tanks…" The crews ran to their T-80's, awaiting orders when they were inside. "You are all to progress to the north of the city and stop the attack. May the gods be with you!" The Colonel stood by his office window and watched as his tanks rumbled out of the depot, heading to their deaths. Penh stooped down and picked up his cap, put it on, and left his office.

Viet-Tri, Vietnam. 1032hrs.

The Battlemaster's rumbled onto the open plain separating the edge of the jungle and Viet-Tri. The sound of enemy tanks came from the city suburbs. The old T-80's rolled onto the plain to face their enemy. The Vietnamese commander was shocked at the sheer size of the attacking force. "Sweet God-…" He never finished his sentence; a 120mm shell ripped his tank apart. The battle commenced. A Battlemaster fired at a T-80, reducing the tank to a burning fireball. Seconds later the Battlemaster was destroyed by a T-80. The battle was chaos; a numerically and technologically superior enemy was destroying the T-80's. The Emperor tanks, meanwhile, moved up to a ridge nearer the city and started lobbing shells at it. In less than four minutes the Vietnamese were in retreat. The marines moved in behind the tanks, ready for the street fighting that could possibly follow.

The ordeal was not over yet. Three Helix-2 helicopters soared overhead to swoop down on the retreating T-80's like giant killer beetles. The first Helix launched anti-armour missile, destroying a T-80. The other two attacked the anti-air defences around the city, causing havoc in amongst the inexperienced crews. Then, to make things worse, a flight of MiG 31's came down to airstrike the city. The _crump_ of the high explosives and the _whump-whump-whump _of the clusters was the accompanying sound to the first Chinese tanks and marines to enter city. The city garrison had been demoralised and most surrendered. Those that resisted died in a hail of AK74 bullets. Taken prisoner along with 127 other Vietnamese soldiers was Captain Kai Hiwatari. Some soldiers, however, were ready to flee the Chinese war machine. One of these soldiers was Colonel Yon-Trig Penh of the Viet-Tri Armoured Division.

Viet-Tri armoured division HQ, Vietnam. 1040 hrs.

Colonel Penh ran across his parade ground to his car. The Chinese hadn't reached his position yet; he could still get away. Rounding a corner, he ran straight into his Major, Kun. "Sir, where are you going? Are you trying to escape? I don-…" He was shoved out of the way as the panicked Colonel attempted to escape, running down the stairs. He didn't see his aide draw his 9mm pistol, aiming in the middle of his commanders' back. The Colonel reached his car door-bang. The Colonel felt something enter his back, penetrating deep inside. He clutched the dirty door of the car as he struggled to turn and draw his pistol. He froze, as he saw, no, _felt_, the gun muzzle aiming at his face. His vision dimming, the Colonel lifted his head.

Cheun Kun had grown up in a fishing village in the deep south of Vietnam. Never,_ never_, had he imagined that he become a second in command in a tank division. As he aimed down at his superior, something stopped him.

"Cheun." The Colonel was saying.

"What?"

"I shall die, of that there is no doubt. But allow me to speak. Do you really think that you can survive the Chinese? They are too big, too well equipped. You shall die. You cannot fight them. You are a coward."

Kun didn't like the c word. "Maybe. But now I have an excuse to escape to Hanoi. You will die a _hero._"

The next bullet entered the Colonel's head above his left eye, blowing his head apart in a shower of red. Shards of brain fluid splattered the car, mixing with the blood and the dirt.

Kun turned and ran up the stairs to Pehn's office.


	5. Bombardment

PLA Marine Corps training camp, Sino-Vietnamese border. 1045 hrs.

Our bullet-ridden truck skidded into the training camp. Xung and I leapt out and ran over to command post Delta. When we entered, Xung explained the infiltrator attack. "OK." Said Major Li. "Well, you've arrived too late to participate in the initial attack. Tell you what, jump on the Helix and it'll take you down to Viet-Tri." I nodded and we went outside, gestured to the six soldiers in the back of the truck, and our group clambered into the chopper. It took off and in several minutes we were flying over the scene of the tank battle. I whistled, and turned to Xung, shouting over the noise of the Helix. "That must have been some battle, eh?" before Xung could respond, the helicopter was landing in the rubble-strewn square. I dropped out of the chopper, followed closely by Xung and the rest, to meet the Special Forces (SF) commander who had led the attack: Lieutenant-Colonel Mao Zequin.

Viet-Tri, Vietnam. 1056 hrs.

Captain Kai Hiwatari of the NVA was marched along the road into captivity. He turned the corner with his fellow captives, urged on with a "Hurry up!" and a prod from a bayonet. He passed a square in which a helicopter was sitting. He noticed also a young Lieutenant talking earnestly with Lieutenant-Colonel Zequin, before he was herded onto a truck with the rest of the prisoners. Two marine guards came with them. The 3 trucks started up and rolled out of the square, destination: the Viet-Tri armoured division HQ.

Fate, however, had a hand to play in events in an artillery base 2 miles east; the guns were preparing to fire. When they did, the shock of the population of the village surrounding it was profound; after all base had been there for years and never fired a shot.

In Viet-Tri, however, the shell's arrival induced a trained response. Rei Kon's eyes widened; "Get down!" He yelled, pushing the commander onto the dirt road. The shell landed on a building on the outskirts of the city and blowing it to smithereens. More shells followed, smashing the once proud city into the dust. Rei hauled the to his feet, shouting. Rei screamed over the noise of the explosions. "Sir, we've gotta get you into cover!" A shell smashed into the square, blowing chunks of concrete into the air. Rei pulled the C.O. over to an abandoned Vietnamese slit trench. "Sir, stay here! I'm going to get the radio from the listening van!" The van was sitting on the other side of the square. The Lieutenant raced towards it, dodging around the Helix, which was trying to take off. No sooner had Rei passed it a shell scored a direct hit on the robustly built machine, blowing it to pieces.

Rei was knocked to the ground, a piece of stone slicing his cheek open. As he picked himself up, blood trickling down his jaw line and dripping onto the ground, another shell exploded into a building directly opposite him, bringing it crashing down in a shower of dust and masonry on the Chinese soldier. Blackness engulfed him.


	6. The Mirages

**Airbase outside of Hanoi, Vietnam. 1100 hrs.**

The airforce base just outside of the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi was tasked with the defence of the city. Out of special reinforced hangars rolled their main asset: a squadron of French built Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft, almost as good as the Chinese Su-27's or Su-30's. The Vietnamese squadron leader, callsign "Guardian Leader", fired up his aircraft's engines. "This is AWACS aircraft 82650. We've spotted a squadron of H-6 bomber aircraft en route to Hanoi escorted by a squadron of Su-27's. Engage. Repeat, engage." In less than 4 minutes 10 aircraft were airborne. "The Vietnamese airforce, although badly mauled, still had a card to play. Form up," Came the cool voice of the squadron leader. The Mirage's roared off towards the attacking squadron.

**Vietnamese Airspace. 1105 hrs.**

The H-6 is a formidable bomber aircraft. Armed with both laser guided and "dumb" bombs, it can pack quite a punch. Now add ats missiles, as (anti-ship) missiles, ata missiles, and three 30-mm cannons, and you have a bomber capable of striking targets with uncanny precision. But the H-6 is large and unwieldy, which is why the attacking bombers were protected by Su-27's. The Su-27 squadron leader radioed the rest of his squadron and the leader of the H-6's. "Phoenix flight, this is Phoenix Leader. There are 10 hostile aircraft coming our way. Intercept. I repeat, intercept. They must not reach the bombers. Turtle 1, keep formation." The Su-27's peeled away from the bombers to intercept.

"Guardian flight, this is Guardian leader. The bombers are priority 1." The Mirage's launched their ata missiles at the maximum range of 12 miles. The Su-27's were surprised by the launch. "Break, break! Missiles incom-arrgh!" The Su-27 to the left of the leader blew up spectacularly. "What! The Vietnamese shouldn't have missiles with that kind of range!" Gasped the leader. "Launch ata's!" The full squadron launched their "Alamo" missiles. The Vietnamese Mirage's dived, attempting to escape. Several released chaff, but 4 were still destroyed by the Alamo's. "Guardians 2 and 5, with me!" The leader pulled his fighter upwards, firing as he did so. The shells thudded into Phoenix 3, but the pilot ejected before the plane exploded. Seconds later he was avenged by Phoenix Leader, who downed 2 Mirages, one with an Alamo and one with his 30-mm cannon. The Guardian Leader was destroyed by an Alamo, and with the loss of their leader the Vietnamese turned tail. "This is Phoenix Leader. Phoenix's 2,4,5,6,7, and 8, pursue the enemy. The rest of us will stay here. The chosen fighter's opened their throttles and sped off in pursuit of the fleeing viets.

Phoenix 2 was closing in on Guardian 6 as the green jungle of Vietnam rushed below them. The pilot of the Su-27's eyes narrowed as the Mirage slid into his sights. He fired a short-range "archer" ata missile. Guardian 6 released chaff, and the pursuing Sukhoi flew through the debris of its' own missile. Undeterred, Phoenix 2 opened fire with his 30-mm cannon. The hits sparked off the Vietnamese fighter, who dived. The Su-27 followed, still firing. Another cannon shell smashed into the Mirage. Black smoke streamed from the fighter. The Su-27 launched another archer. This time Guardian 6 plunged earthwards, the canopy blowing off as the pilot ejected. By now the rest of the Guardian squadron had turned. "We'll go down in glory!" Exclaimed Guardian 2. They launched missiles, downing Phoenix 7. 30-mm cannon fire and Alamo missiles at the loss of 2 more Su-27's destroyed the other enemies. The H-6 bombs dropped unhindered on Hanoi. The heavily damaged Guardian 10 crashed on landing. The pilot died in the crash. 10 of the 30 known Vietnamese Mirage's had been destroyed in one attack.


	7. The Wolf and the Tiger

AN: I'm changing from the first to third person in this chapter. Enjoy.

**Viet-Tri, Vietnam. 1111hrs.**

The heavy artillery fire was annihilating the battlemasters grouped in Viet-Tri. The more heavily armoured Emperor tanks headed out of the city lest they, too, be destroyed.

Rei Kon awoke in the dark. "Huh?" He reached out with his hand, feeling the rubble that encased him. He could hear the artillery fire smashing into the city around him. Suddenly the stone above him shifted, and light streamed through. Captain Zhui Hing, Rei's immediate superior, grinned and held out his hand. "Need a hand, Lieutenant?" Rei took his arm and was hauled out of the rubble. "Sir, is the C.O ok?" "Yeah, he's over in the slit trench." Rei looked over the square to where the radio van had been. "Sir, where's the…" Hing finished his sentence, "…the radio van? Blown to bits on the main street while trying to get to safety. Come with me. We have to get into cover." Rei picked his AK from the ground and followed the captain across the square to the slit trench where Zequin was sheltering, shellfire ripping the ground to bits behind them. A building blew asunder in a fiery ball of masonry. As the two soldiers dropped into the thin trench, Zequin perked up. "Glad to see you're ok, Lieutenant Kon." Rei smiled. "Thank you, sir."

The first truck full of prisoners was blown apart by a direct hit by a Vietnamese shell. The irony didn't occur to Kai, who was holding on for dear life as the truck he was in smashed into the glass window of a shop. Kai didn't waste time. He clubbed a guard, grabbed his AK74, and pumped him full of bullets. The second guard fared no better, as Kai squeezed the trigger again, knocking the marine out of the truck. Kai followed, dropping out and wincing as more shells slammed around. Kai, with no option open to him, ran inside the shattered shop window.

**The Times, the 4th of Feb. 2004. Extract.**

**Vietnam attacked!**

_In the early hours of local Vietnamese time, the Chinese army and airforce attacked its' neighbour. Official Chinese reports at this time claim that Vietnam has an illegal claim to the Paracel and Spratly Islands groups._The Times_ has spoken to UK government officials who say that the Chinese Ambassador conveys his governments' assurance that this dispute will be solved as quickly as possible and with the least bloodshed possible. For more info, check our website at_ Turn to page 5, col.2 for the implications on the stability in the South China Sea and Chinese war aims

**Hanoi, Vietnam. 1115 hrs.**

The BBC news crew unrolled their electronics in front of the Hanoi government building like the Day of Reckoning had come. For them, this was a scoop of a lifetime. The reporter signalled the cameraman. "Make sure that the bomb damage is visible." The cameraman rolled his eyes. Like he didn't know that! The reporter stood back. "Here we go…" "Live in 5…4…3…2…1…on air!" The reporter arranged his face to make it look sorrowful and grim instead of being happy at the chance to get a scoop of war instead of crops growing and happy Vietnamese faces…no. There was no news like bad news. "Here in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, Chinese bomb damage is evident. Morale here is low. China's army is huge and defeat is inevitable, unless global opinion turns against China, say experts. Vietnam had asked for the Red Cross to assist their food supplies, already low from the famine last year. The House of Commons is even now deciding whether to remain neutral or condemn the Chinese attack, as France and Japan have already done. Further updates every hour. Ted Ferguson, BBC news, Hanoi."

**Vietnamese Airspace, 1123 hrs.**

The MiG 21 "fishbeds" were flying west, heading towards the border with Cambodia and, hopefully, safety. But that was not to be. A pair of Su 27's on patrol noticed them. "What do we have here?" Smirked the first pilot. "A pair of viets out for a stroll. Let's get 'em!" The Su 27 launched an Archer missile and the MiG was ripped apart in a ball of orange flames. The second MiG accelerated and the second Su 27 prepared to launch his own Archer…and cannon shells ripped into the MiG. "What the!" Exclaimed the surprised Su 27 pilot as the MiG broke up under a concentrated burst of fire. "Hey fellas, hope we're not interrupting anything?" An Su 30 rocketed across the Su 27's flight path, followed by his wingman. "This is Tiger Flight. Returning to base." The Su 27 pilots fumed. "Stupid Tiger show-offs." Sulked the cheated pilot. "Ought to put a rocket in his fancy plane." The elite "Tiger" Squadron flew the Su 30's. They were the envy of every other pilot in the Chinese air force.

**Viet-Tri, Vietnam. 1126 hrs.**

Kai crossed the rubble-strewn street, ever wary of patrolling Chinese soldiers. The barrage seemed to have lifted, and Kai was taking his chance to reach his warehouse and the stored hind gunship.

As soon as the barrage lifted, Rei was up and out of the trench. "I'm off to do a sitrep (situation report) of the trucks containing the prisoners." He ran off around the corner, signalling to a PLA humvee. The vehicle skidded up alongside him and he leapt in. As it drove off, Rei flicked off the safety on his AK74. Kai heard the vehicle coming, and dived headlong into a shell crater. The humvee stopped dead, Rei getting out and aiming his AK at the shop window. A Battlemaster tank, wrecked and burning, gave Kai perfect cover as he edged closer to Rei and the humvee. Rei moved slowly forward, his heavy army boots crunching on the broken glass. Around the front of the truck, smashed and smoking, he saw the bodies of the two marines in the cab. Suddenly two Vietnamese soldiers, armed with pistols, leapt out from behind the counter. Rei trained his AK on the first soldier and shot him in the chest. He went down in a spray of his own blood. The second sent a bullet whistling past his ear, and Rei didn't give him a second chance. He blasted the viet into the counter. Backing out of the shop, he changed his magazine. Kai saw his chance. Leaping out from behind the wreck, blasting the driver of the humvee and catching Rei by surprise. "Don't move." Growled Kai. "Drop the weapon." Rei did so. As he did, Kai's eyes flicked downwards to the place the gun fell and Rei made his move. He dived sideways behind the humvee as Kai opened fire. The bullets sparked off the humvee. Rei stayed down as Kai moved around. He then threw himself at his enemy, knocking him backwards. He kicked Kai in the chest, winding him. Kai recovered quickly and smashed Rei in the stomach with the butt of his stolen AK. Rei doubled up, and Kai hit him in the back of the neck with the AK butt. It was a tribute to Rei's endurance that he stayed conscious. "Get in the humvee." Said Kai "We're going for a ride." Rei slid the dead driver out of the seat, slipping in himself. Kai got in the back, pointing the muzzle of the AK at Rei's head. "Drive north."

As the humvee drove through the city, a Hind gunship flew overhead. The pilot, thinking that he had found a target, and opened fire with his 20 mm cannon. As shells thudded around the vehicle, Rei took a deep breath and hit the brakes. The Hind overshot, but turned quickly to face the pair. "Quick!" Yelled Kai. "Do something!" Rei spun the wheel and the humvee drove through a scarred tunnel. The Hind, like a steel shark, spun around and flew off. On the other side of the tunnel, Rei sighed and brought the humvee to a stop. Kai realised that the marine's driving had brought them to their location. "Get out." He motioned. Rei went to the door and opened it. "Do I go in?" He asked "Yeah." As Rei went in, he brushed the button and flipped it open. Kai had forgotten about his QZ-9mm pistol. Kai flicked on the lights. The Hind was dusty and old, but it would get him out of here. "Well Lieutenant, looks like the end if the road…" Kai spun around with AK raised…

**Sarajevo, Bosnia. Local time 2159 hrs.**

The dark Bosnian street was cold and gloomy. In the large spacious sitting room of a top floor apartment, unscarred from the four-year siege of the city by the Serbs, two men sat over a bottle of the finest Russian Vodka. The first, a heavyset man in his sixties, took a sip. "Ah! There is nothing like a good glass of vodka to warm the spirit, eh Boris?" The man called Boris, a nasal man with greasy hair, responded in kind. "Yes, Voltaire. Nothing at all." Voltaire turned to the roaring fire and shifted comfortably in his leather armchair. "Hard times have fallen upon the motherland since the capitalist warmongers felled the great Soviet Russia. We must react in kind." Boris nodded his assent. "We will bring the USSR back to power with me as their president. How is HangFire going on?" Boris drank a little more of the fiery liquid before answering. "Fine. He reports no unusual activity and is prepared to move into plan A." "You have done well, Boris. Return to base and prepare the SF team." Voltaire chuckled and raised his glass so that the fire sparkled in its' depths and threw it back onto Boris's face. "To the new Communist Russia!" Boris realised the irony and raised his glass too. "To the new Communist Russia." Two soldiers entered the room and stood behind the armchair. "We will have our revenge, comrade." Voltaire whispered. Boris Grishiyenko had seen many things, but the look on his bosses' face scared him. It was a look of hunger, of rage, of passion, of longing. Boris left the room to return to their base in the Middle East and prepare the next phase of their plan.


	8. Safe Home?

"Blitzkrieg" Chap 8

AN: From now on, I will be changing between 1st and 3rd person. Enjoy and don't forget to review!

Rei was gone. "What?" Rei stepped from the shadows, pistol raised. "Don't move. I don't want to shoot you." Kai's AK blazed, and Rei was forced to dive sideways as 7.62 bullets smashed into the wall behind him. He rolled and opened fire with his pistol. Kai swung the assault rifle round and sprayed the area with fire. Rei stayed low, pinned to the ground by the enemy's fire. The Chinese soldier crawled over to the first shelving unit that he could reach. Kai continued to fire, inaccurately. Rei slammed his shoulder into the shelving unit. It swayed. He rammed his shoulder into it again. It fell. Kai leapt aside. "Damn, damn! Can't you just die?" He picked himself up, but Rei was quicker. Bullets from the lieutenant's pistol sparked off the Hind and the concrete ground. Kai threw himself sideways, behind some boxes, cursing. The Chinese marine moved into the dusty sunlight from the window. Kai, smirking victoriously, rolled out of cover…until Rei turned in a blur and shot him. The bullet struck the soldier in the shoulder. Kai spun and fell. Rei moved forwards, his pistol raised in front of him. He kicked the AK-74 away from the fallen Kai.

**Vietnamese Airspace, 1132 hrs.**

A mixed force of MiG-21 "fishbeds", MiG-23 "floggers" and MiG-25 "foxbats" flew towards Viet-Tri. "This is Foxbat 1." Radioed the lead MiG-25. "We are to bypass the city entirely and strike at the Emperor tanks o the outskirts." "Roger." The following fighters acknowledged. As the fighters roared across the city, the PLA were ill prepared. A single Triple A (Anti-Aircraft Artillery) gun was fixed on a rooftop. The crew fired a thousand tracer rounds at the last MiG-23 as it swept across the city. It was fatally struck, and cannonballed into a building…. a warehouse.

Rei was blown backwards as the plane smashed into the warehouse. He was thrown straight through a large window on to the street. The lieutenant picked himself up off the ground and stared at the wreckage of the warehouse. "Poor guy." He thought. Even if he had been an enemy, what a way to die. Rei holstered his pistol and returned to the humvee. The engine growled into life and the marine drove through the tunnel was the Hind had strafed them. The same Hind was sitting in its hangar 12 miles away. As he turned right to head back to the square, he noticed that his hands were shaking. He clamped them down hard on the steering wheel and drove on.

**Qingdao, China. 1134 hrs.**

The two troop-carrying trucks turned into the main street of the port city of Qingdao. The driver was a large, well built man with a scar over his nose. His name was Nguyen Trig Penh. He glanced around at the 12 men behind him. They were good men. They all were. The 25th infiltrator group had taken heavy casualties. One way or another, this would be their last mission. The trucks pulled into a deserted yard. "Listen up!" Growled Nguyen. "We're going to infiltrate the marine HQ and destroy the plans for their part in "Blitzkrieg" and their base itself. I won't lie to you. We probably won't survive." The men exchanged looks. The boldest, a Corporal, spoke up. "We're with you, sarge!" The sergeant smiled. "Let's go then!" The trucks drove out and the sergeant felt a swelling of pride for his men.

**Viet-Tri, Vietnam. 1136 hrs.**

(1st person) I pulled into the square. For a moment I thought I had gone back in time. A Helix was sitting in the corner. Zequin was talking to a pilot. I stopped the humvee and got out. Xung spotted me. "Sir? Are you okay?" I nodded. "We've been called back to Qingdao." I perked up. "Great!" "We're leaving straight away!" Xung led me to the chopper "The whole regiment is going back. Explained the sergeant. "It must be somethin' big." He clambered on board. I followed. The Helix's rotors started to turn. Xung cracked a joke and I chuckled. I felt a hand on my arm. It was Zequin. "Thank you Lieutenant." He said over the noise of the engines. "I won't forget it." The Helix lifted off and turned northeast towards China and home. My spirits lifted with it. We were going home!

The pain…it was the first thing he felt. Kai Hiwatari dragged himself out from under the wreckage of the MiG-23. It's wings had been sheared off and the fuselage had torpedoed through the warehouse. He crawled to the wall and out.

**Marine HQ, Qingdao, China. 1140 hrs**

The infiltrators' trucks halted before the gates of the marine HQ on the outskirts of the city. "How do we…" Started a private. Nguyen cut him off. "Get down and shut up. You'll see." A marine guard came forward. In the cab, Nguyen, in his Chinese uniform and obscuring helmet, passed his inspection. "How can I help you, Captain? Asked the inquisitive guard, taking in Nguyen's Chinese uniform. "I'm here to deliver munitions for the armoury." Said the infiltrator. "I can't let you in without clearance." Replied the guard. "And I don't have any trucks on my schedule…" The Vietnamese infiltrator smiled. "Check with a superior. I'm cleared to come through." The guard complied, returning in less than two minutes. "Go on in, Captain." He said.

The gate slid open and the trucks drove through. They parked round the back and disembarked. "How did we do that?" asked the same private. "Simple." Said the sergeant. "We have an insider helping us." The soldiers headed off to continue their mission.

**Qingdao Marine HQ heliport, China. 1200 hrs.**

I dropped from the helicopter as it landed on the heliport. Xung followed. "So, sergeant, what are we to do?" I asked. The marine shrugged. "I don't know." He said. A marine detachment was waiting for us on the edge of the helipad. The newly promoted Commander Li was there. Captain Hing met him. "Commander." He said, shaking his hand. "Congratulations." "Thank you, old friend." Replied Li. "I want you and all your officers to report to the briefing room." Hing nodded and turned to us. "Come on you lot! Move it!" We smiled and followed him off the helipad.

We strode down the corridor towards the briefing room, past the guardroom, and almost ran into a group of marines coming the other way. We entered the briefing room and sat. Li turned and started to speak. "Well, you guys performed magnificently. You destroyed the garrison in Viet-Tri, you captured a lot of prisoners…" He went on to say how we were using the town to push into Vietnam… I was sore and I still had dried blood on my face from the stone chips, I had to recover an AK-74 to replace the one lost in Viet-Tri, I was thirsty. I raised my hand. "Yes, Lieutenant Kon? Do you have a question?" I nodded. "Yes, sir. May I go and clean the blood off my face and get a replacement AK for the one I lost in Viet-Tri? I can catch up from one of the men's reports." The commander shrugged. "Yes, Kon. Go ahead. But remember to catch up your report later." I rose and left, heading for the guardroom and the toilets to clean the blood off my face.

When I arrived at the guardroom, the first thing I saw was a dead body of a marine sprawled on the floor. I was reaching for my pistol when another marine entered the room, in desert camo. He unslung his AKM and opened fire at me. I dived sideways and shot him from the floor. The bullet slammed into his neck, throwing him backwards into the wall. I ran to his body and frisked him. He had nothing more than an ammo clip and a radio. It sparked into life. I raised it to my ear. "Ivan, are you there? Have you destroyed the plans?" Said the voice in Vietnamese. Luckily, I could speak Laotian, which bore a close resemblance to Vietnamese. "We're in the main hall, heading for the armoury, to blow it. More soldiers have taken the command centre and the heliport. Get down here and _hurry it up!_" Continued the voice. The radio went silent. I went to the alarm on the wall and smashed the glass with the butt of my pistol. Pressing the button, I picked his AKM up from the ground and left the guardroom.

Running down the corridor, I exited into the main hall. The soldier at the desk was lying on the floor, dead. I picked up his ammo and dodged into the stairwell, shooting the Viet who was stationed halfway down. He fell, dead, down the stairs. I took the stairs four at a time, hoping that I could get to the armoury in time. I could hear gunfire elsewhere. Obviously the other soldiers had run into the infiltrators and the battle had begun.

The infiltrators had arrived at the armoury just after the alarm had started to sound. The guard there was on alert, having pulled his desk to the middle of the hallway and crouching behind it, ready for anything. "Sir!" He exclaimed, perking up at the sight of a superior officer. "Is the alert over?" Nguyen frowned. "No. I have to inspect the armoury, in the event of an emergency." The soldier shook his head. "Sorry sir, but the alert has to be called off over the P.A. first. Standard operation procedure." The Viets didn't waste words. The marine died in a hail of gunfire. "Open the door." An infiltrator broke through the door and the Viets charged through.

I ran down the corridor, AKM ready. I ran into two soldiers exchanging fire with a pair of Viets. I dived in beside them, opening up with the AKM. The Viets fell. The soldiers picked themselves up and turned to me. "Sir, do we have any info on the men who are attacking us?" I shrugged. "I dunno." I replied. We turned and pounded down towards the armoury. Two infiltrators pinned us down with fire as we came round the corner. Leaning out, I shot one as he reloaded. He shrieked and fell. The other died as he was hit by a multitude of shots at once. We ran up the hall and leapt through the door. The Viet behind the door was quickly killed. We ran to the explosives and took them down. I took one and tucked it into my pouch. I turned to the soldiers and said. "We've got to liberate the heliport. They have an advantage from there."

"Look out!" Roared a soldier. I turned with AKM raised, but it was only Sergeant Xung and a few others. "What's going on, sir? We heard gunshots." I cocked the Kalashnikov and growled: "Infiltrators." Xung paled. "We have to find Captain Hing." I nodded. We headed for the heliport, shooting any Viets that got in our way.

Arriving at the heliport, we were jammed in the doorway as the Vietnamese blasted away at us. Xung fired back, and a soldier staggered back and fell from the heliport to the vehicle yard three stories below. I stepped out of the doorway and loosed a long burst off from my stolen AKM. Viets fell under the accurate fire. An infiltrator took a grenade from his belt. I aimed quickly for him and fired. The hits travelled up the man's arm and detonated the grenade. The remains of the man were thrown off the heliport. We took advantage of this explosion to kill the rest of the Viets on the 'pad.

Suddenly all was quiet, save for the gunfire in the vehicle yard below. "Sound off!" I yelled. "Only Hahn is dead."

Hahn's body was covered with a green canvas tarp. I was inspecting the chopper. I climbed in. Suddenly a Viet launched himself at me from the cockpit, knocking me out onto the concrete. I raised my AKM, only to have it knocked away by the enemy. I slammed my fist into his face, stunning him for a moment. I kneed him in the chest, throwing him off me and off the heliport. His scream was cut off as he hit the floor below.

Upon reaching the ground floor we fought our way through the level. We hit a snag in the central hall. The infiltrators had barricaded themselves behind the desks and the steel boxes. We scrambled for cover as bullets whizzed around us. I aimed my AKM over the top of the boxes and shot a Viet as he fired a long burst from his AKM towards my men. He disappeared behind the overturned desk in a cloud of blood. I was forced to cower behind cover as a storm of lead slammed into the desk that I was hiding behind. Suddenly, a group of marines appeared at the top of the central staircase and fired at the enemy. Together, we eliminated the Vietnamese. As we regrouped, one of the soldiers explained the dire situation that we found ourselves in. "We're trapped," He explained, "They destroyed a tank in the entrance. No one can get past it. They also have Commander Li hostage." "Where are they holding him?" I asked. "In the command room." I blanched. "To get to him, we're going to have to fight our way through half of this base with only a handful of allies. Great."

A marine, face blackened with burns, set a C4 against the door that led to the command room. We trained our weapons on the door. I nodded to the marine. He blew the door off its hinges. We ran through the doorway and killed the two Viets that were on guard. After a short we reached the vehicle yard. The staccato bursts of AK rifle fire echoed in the spacious yard. I sprinted for cover behind a supply truck. I leant out from behind the truck and fired off a burst at an infiltrator hiding behind another truck. He yelped and dived back behind the truck. The yard was square, with the admin building supported by six pillars on the west side. The yard was strewn with rubble and dead bodies. The Viets had taken cover behind the pillars and had a sandbagged machine-gun post in the middle of them, spitting death onto the whole yard. We were in cover in the east side, where a row of trucks was wrecked and burning. We were behind them. The heavy _thud-thud-thud_ of the heavy machine gun kept us down. I saw Xung hit in the leg as he ran from cover to cover. The trusty sergeant fell. I saw red. Xung had been with me from the beginning. "You Vietnamese _bastards!_" I charged out from cover, ignoring the bullets chipping the ground around me. I fired a burst from my AKM, killing a Viet as he levelled his AKM at me. He jerked backwards and dropped from sight. I slid beside Xung. He turned his head. "It's not bad." I reassured him. A Viet was killed as he tried to throw a grenade at us. I got up and started to drag the sergeant towards our defences. The machine gun crew was hell-bent on killing us both. I yanked a grenade from my belt and threw it. Weapon and crew were disintegrated in a ball of fire. Suddenly all was quiet. Xung had a bandage applied to his wound. I sat back, exhausted.


	9. North Korean Invasion:Operation Freefall

"Blitzkrieg" Chap 9.

(1st person)

The chatter of a helicopter's blades shook me from my stupor. Struggling to my feet, I saw a Chinese Helix appear. A corporal rose from cover to wave for it to land. Rather than land, the Helix opened fire, the cannon shells ripping the unfortunate corporal to pieces. I froze as the Helix fired two "Hellfire" missiles into our men. "They must have control of the Helix up top!" I thought, referring to the Helix that had brought us here. While I was in shock, Xung, ever the professional soldier, took over. "Fire!" He roared. "Don't let them see your positions!" The men opened up with all they had. The AK muzzle flashes gave the enemy a good look at where the men where, however. I snapped out of my daze. I started to move. I ran from cover to cover, encouraging the men, firing at the chopper. The bullets seemed to have no effect whatsoever. It turned and launched a "Hellfire" missile at a supply truck that some of the men were hiding behind. It exploded in a ball of flame. Bodies and bits of bodies were flung through the air. The crack of AK's resounded around the yard. I fired off a long burst at the rear of the Helix. Black smoke streamed from it. It turned on me. I turned and ran. The cannon shells ripped the ground to pieces behind me. I dashed from cover to cover with the Helix behind me. I stumbled on a piece of rubble. The Helix stopped and faced me. I closed my amber eyes, coughing from the dust. It prepared to fire. I thought of my home in the mountains near Tibet, my parents. 15! What an age to die…and a thunderous explosion rocked the yard and a searing heat rolled over me. I opened my eyes. The Helix was spinning out of control towards the admin building, it's back end blown off. I looked up, bewildered. Two SU-27's flew overhead, pulled up and around, and hit their afterburners. The Helix smashed into the front of the admin building, obliterating the entire front of it. It started to collapse…then stopped. I sighed in relief. Then the Helix's petrol tank exploded, bringing the entire building down. I scrambled out of the way as it thundered to the ground, covering half of the yard. I climbed back over the rubble to Xung and the rest. "You know," I said, brushing my black bangs out of my eyes (My red ying-yang bandanna had ripped a little in battle) "There are times were I think that the airforce leave it that late on purpose."

Two lacklustre Vietnamese guards guarded the command room. We blasted our way past them and into the command room itself. A large plasma screen displayed footage of the Chinese forces advancing down the Vietnamese peninsula. They had reached the outskirts of Hanoi already! In the alcove beneath it, the "Pit", the Viet infiltrators fired up at us. "Spread out!" I yelled. The men spread out, firing at the enemy as they did so. I fired a burst off from my stolen AKM, sending a Viet slumping backwards, blood spraying from his head as he died. The enemy leader shouted over the intercom. "Stop firing or your commander dies!" I released the trigger of my weapon and motioned for the other marines to do the same. The infiltrators came up and disarmed us, wrenching my captured AKM from me and marching us down to the Pit. The enemy sergeant took his AKM away from the commanders' head. We were forced to our knees with our hands behind our heads. The commander stood, brushing the dust from his uniform. The Vietnamese N.C.O handed the commander's pistol back to him. "Thank you, sergeant. Now, can we get to business?" I was shocked. "What the Hell is this, sir?" I hoped that this was some sort of bad joke. The commander turned to me. "You fool!" He sneered. "Do you really think that I was going to stay working for the Chinese Army when the New Soviets can give me much more…?" "You traitorous scum!" I snarled at him. He smiled and slapped me across the face. "The New Soviets will soon take power. The Soviet himself manipulates governments like they were his puppets. Do you really think that this invasion of Vietnam is for some islands? It is simply a div…" The commander's words died as a soldier behind him jerked back, dead. I spun around. Captain Hing had arrived. He and his men fanned out across the upper catwalks, spitting bullets down upon the enemy.

I took advantage of this confusion, launching myself at Li and ramming into his stomach. He doubled over before knocking me down with a punch. He turned and ran. I sprang to my feet and followed. My men were quick to react, striking the infiltrators as they fought against Hing's men. I tripped the commander and he kicked me off him. I rolled over towards a table, grasping for an AK-74. Li was off again. I followed, firing off a few shots from my AK, the 7.62mm bullets ripping through Vietnamese flesh and bones. Li sprinted along the Viet "battle line", a line of desks pulled together. I followed, killing two more Viets as they ducked from the Chinese fire. I caught up with the traitorous commander as he reached the first row of screens. I raised my rifle and fired. Li dived out of the way and the bullets found the Vietnamese sergeant instead. Nguyen slammed back into the screens, sliding down, leaving a trail of blood on them. I grabbed Li's head and smashed it through the screen. He turned and kicked me in the midsection. I smashed an uppercut into his chin, jerking his head back. Bringing up my AK-74, I shot the traitor in the chest at point-blank range. He stumbled backwards, raising his pistol. I fired again, knocking him over the edge of the Pit and down to the huge computer maintenance levels, dead. It was over. We had defeated the infiltrators and our traitorous commander. I waved to the Captain and his men. I wanted to discover the truth about what Li had said, about the "New Soviets". It sounded familiar. The manipulation of entire countries, for example. It sounded a lot like BIOVOLT…

**Japanese Airspace. 1343 hrs.**

Tyson Granger banked his MiG-29 over the Japanese city of Kyoto, reading his green HUD (Heads-Up-Display.) "All right fellas, our patrol's over, let's go home." Tyson aligned his MiG's nose with his home base of Wakkananai in the north of Hokkaido Island. The other two MiG's slid into formation with him and opened their throttles to 100.

Tyson had been conscripted into the Japanese Airforce at 15, after the destruction of the city of Naha in the southern seas of Japan by the NKPN (North Korean People's Navy). Tension between Japan and North Korea had mounted steadily, and Japan started replacing its ageing F-15's with Russian MiG-29's.

Tyson and his wingmates swept over Aomori in the north. "Dagger 1, sir." Came one of the MiG's pilot's voices over the radio. "Go ahead, Dagger 2." Replied Tyson, his voice muffled by his oxygen mask. "There's a contact on the radar screen, to the west." Sure enough, there was. Tyson turned westward. "It can't hurt to check it out." He said.

**Sea of Japan, 1348 hrs.**

Tyson and his flight rocketed across the sea towards the mysterious "contact". Dagger 3 radioed his leader. "Dagger 1. Do we make a standard pass?" In answer Tyson lowered his speed, passing over the contact's bow. It was a NK (North Korean) battleship. Tyson radioed it. "Unidentified North Korean battleship, you are in Japanese territorial waters. Turn and leave." The warship continued with no sign of turning. Dagger 2 repeated the warning. No response. Tyson banked again, arming his 30-mm cannon this time. "Turn around. This is your last warning." Tyson flew overhead. The warship belched flame. "Missile launched!" yelled Dagger 2. Tyson rolled his MiG and pressed the firing button. His 30-mm cannon flashed, sparking hits along the vessel. Dagger 3's tail was blown open. "Eject!" screamed Tyson. "Aarrgh--!" The pilot's scream was cut off as the MiG-29 smashed into the clear blue sea. "Sink me this bastard!" Yelled Dagger 1, Tyson. The warship launched another missile. "Break!" Shouted Dagger 2. The pair of MiGs split, and the missile soared in between them. Tyson fired an as (anti-ship) missile. It sped over low over the waves, seeking its target. The warship's stern erupted as the ammo caught fire. Dagger 2 launched another missile. The NK ship listed, its hull holed by the Japanese missiles. Tyson and his wingmate swooped around for the kill. "Finish it off!" Ordered Tyson. Dagger 2 flicked his missile armament switch. The missile lock-on square zoomed in on the bridge. Dagger 2 pressed the "Fire" switch, and the missile shot off the rack. The projectile slammed into the Korean warship, sending the bridge up in flames.

**North Korean invasion fleet flagship (Cho-Zho), Sea of Japan. 1350 hrs.**

The North Korean admiral saw the explosion of his scout ship from the bridge of his flagship, the Cho-Zho. "Where is our fighter cover?" Asked the admiral. One of his bridge officers answered. "They should be here soon, sir." "Good." Said the admiral. "Launch missiles!" Called a sensor officer.

**Sea of Japan. 1355 hrs.**

Tyson saw the fleet on his radar seconds before Dagger 2 died. His MiG-29 was blown from under him. Tyson decided that discretion was better than valour, and hit his afterburners to escape the fleet and to call for reinforcements.

**Pyongyang, North Korea. 1359 hrs.**

The presidential palace in North Korea's capital was magnificent despite the poverty that was gripping the country. In the president's office, the "Divine Leader", Kim Yong-Il, sat at a magnificent mahogany desk from Sweden. He was a powerful man, used to controlling an entire country, but the man in front of him scared him. The AK-47 armed guards couldn't save him from this man…or from his boss. Kim Yong-Il spoke in a tone of forced joviality. "So, Boris," He said, "What can I do for you?" Boris looked up. His eyes burned with commitment. "I have a message from The Soviet. Continue your attack. You will not be bothered be the Chinese. They are preoccupied with their attack on Vietnam. An attack _we_ initiated. You will be unhindered. Take control of Tokyo. Destroy Japan's industry. It will destabilise the world's markets. Then you will be rewarded." Boris rose, turned, and left. On his way out he took out a small radio. "SF team 1. Initiate assassination 1." He disappeared down the corridor. In the office, Kim Yong-Il stood, with a heavy heart. "Continue the attack."

**Wakkananai airbase. 1404 hrs.**

Tyson Granger, Dagger 1, was panicked. He screamed over the Japanese coast, patching in the frequency for his base. "Wakkananai control, this is Dagger 1. A huge NK fleet is heading towards our coast. We have to push them back!" Tyson circled behind the control tower, becoming more urgent. "Come ON!" The control tower acknowledged the attack conformation amazedly. "Japanese infantry and limited armour are heading towards the estimated landing zone. You are to land, refuel, and return to the area and help push the Korean dogs back!" Tyson landed his MiG and slid down the ladder connecting it with the ground. "Hurry!" He gasped at the engineers, apprehensive for the fate of his country.

**North Korean Fleet, Sea of Japan. 1409 hrs.**

The mighty North Korean fleet churned through the waves towards Japan. Onboard the Cho-Zho, the admiral, Luk Son-Li, stood. "Open fire." He said. The NK guns spoke, hurling shells towards the Japanese beachheads a few miles away.

**Japanese beachhead 1, Hokkaido. 1410 hrs.**

The Japanese infantry and armour had reached the beach, and were as ready as they could be. The first shells landed amongst them, killing many. The fleet was coming. "Fire!" screamed the Japanese commander. Tracer bullets flicked across the water, forcing the men in the ships down. The battleships responded in kind. The first NK landing ship beached under heavy Japanese fire, and disgorged its' soldiers. Waves of NK infantry raced out and up the beach. The clatter of battle was everywhere: the crack of AK-47 rifles from the NK infantry, the chatter of Japanese M16 fire, the _thud-thud-thud_ of Japanese heavy machinegun fire, the crump of falling shells. It was chaos, but organised chaos. A wave of NK T-85 MBT's thundered up the beach. The infantry and Japanese armour made no difference to the hulking metal beasts, which crushed everything in their path. All seemed lost until a flight of MiG-29's flew overhead and razed the beach with ats missiles. The armour was annihilated. But more came. They destroyed the armour on the ridge as more NK infantry came from the boats. Tyson hurled his MiG round and peppered the NK infantry with cannon shells. The Koreans were slaughtered out in the open, their bodies ripped apart by Tyson's accuracy. "Incoming!" Yelled a wingman. Two squadrons of NK MiG-21 and MiG-23's were screaming their way.

Many men on both sides died that day, on that idyllic Japanese beach. Heroes were made, and killed. Men's blood stained the golden sand scarlet. Their lives were often over in an instant, with a bullet from a gun, a piece of shrapnel from a grenade. They fought heroically, with adrenaline fuelling desperate charges on NK positions and NK charges on Japanese bunkers. Above, fighters duelled, tracing white vapour trails in the clear blue sky, turning to black and orange as they were hit. Tyson Granger escaped after the initial defeat as the NK invaders pushed on through Japan.


	10. Separate Ways

**Beijing, China. 1415 hrs.**

President Deng Xiaopen of the People's Republic of China was reading in his study when an aide came in. "Mr President!" He stuttered, exited. "Sir, North Korea has invaded Japan!" Xiaopen looked up sharply. "What?"

**London, England. Local time 2343 hrs.**

Prime Minister Stephen Hawk was awoken from a deeply refreshing sleep by the shrill ringing of his telephone. "Do you know what the Hell time it is?... What? Get me Pyongyang at once!"

**Langley, Virginia, USA. Local time 0945 hrs.**

The CIA men watched as the waves of North Korean infantry and armour streamed up the beach. The satnav was of good quality, up to date, so there was no mistaking these images. "Dave." Said the first CIA man. "Call Washington.Get me the President. As if China attacking Vietnam wasn't enough."

**Command room, Marine HQ, Qingdao, China. 1420 hrs. **

Rei Kon was leaning against a control console in the command room, watching as the Chinese marines cleared the bodies of the dead soldiers from both sides from the floor. Captain Hing approached him, limping from a leg wound. "You okay, Rei?" He asked. "Yes, Zhui, thank you." He replied. "How's your leg?" Hing grimanced. "I'll live." A techie came rushing up to the two officers. "Sirs, North Korea has attacked Japan!" Rei blinked in surprise. "What!" Exclaimed Hing. "Why?" The tech shrugged. "I don't know." The man turned and pressed a button on the console. A satillite image flashed into being on the remaining screens showing waves of NK armour and infantry steaming up the beach, bulldozing the light Japanese defences. Rei stood, shocked. "What are we going to do, sir?" Hing looked uncertain. His radio sparked into life. "Captain!" Came the harsh voice from the speakers. "Report to Beijing with your second-in-command and one Sergeant Xung. A Helix will be put at your disposal." The radio fell silent and Rei looked at his superior in surprise.Hing shrugged and motioned for the soldiers to follow him to the helipad.

The Helix combat helicopter lifted off from the Qingdao marine HQ with onboard Captain Zhui Hing, Lieutenant Rei Kon, and Sergeant Zhiang Xung. Rei stared down at the pall of smoke that was the base, strangely sad. So many dead, so far behind he front lines. He could see no good coming from this accursed war. The Helix turned north, towards the capital.

**Beijing, China. 0005 hrs. 26th Feb 2005.**

The Helix touched down with a bump on the rooftop helipad on the PLACC (People's Liberation Army Command Center) compound in Beijing. Hing, Rei, and Xung dismounted under the glare of the neon lights and walked across the pad where they were met by a colonel. "You got here quick. Good. The general is waiting for you." He led the three weary marines through the PLACC's sterilr white corridors. He stopped in front of a plain wooden door. "General Zi is waiting." Said the colonel, and pushed open the door.

Rei walked in, followed by his fellow marines. General Zi looked up from a stack of papers and smiled briefly. He was a small man with a strong presence that made him look and feel bigger. A large Chinese flag was strung up behind a plain wooden desk. A high-tech PC was on this desk and a view of the city to the west wall. Zi stood up, smoothing the creases from his uniform, and motioned for them to sit. Rei scratched the back of his hand anxiously. The general looked at them each in turn and spoke.

"Thank you for coming so rapidly." His voice was soft and gravelly. Hing spoke for all of them. "It was no problem, sir." Zi turned to the PC and typed in a rapid command. Then he spoke, his back to the three soldiers. "You performed exellently in Qingdao. I hate to have to do this." Rei shifted. "What, sir?" Asked Hing. "I'm going to have to separate the entire marine contingent that was there. To reduce the public and international fallout. Do you understand? Rei was in shock. "Separate us, sir?" He repeated. "Don't worry, It won't affect your careers. You will just be sent to different units. Captain Hing, you will assume command of the 82nd paratrooper unit." Zi drew a patch from one of his drawers and handed it to the surprised would-be paratrooper. "Congratulations, Major Hin, and good luck. Sergeant Xung and Lieutenant Kon, you will put into the 181st commando regiment. SM Xung, congratulations." Xung looked shocked as he, too, was promoted. "Lieutenant, I am promoting you to Captain." He took a third flash from his drawer and slid it across the table. Rei picked it up and looked at it for a second. Then he gave it back to the general. "I think that I would do better as a lieutenant, sir." Zi looked taken aback for a second, then shrugged nochalantly. "It's your choice. Now, that's all. Well done and good luck to all of you." The three men stood, saluted, and left. In the corridor, the colonel was no longer there. The three friends headed off to the helipad. Stepping out into the cold Beijing night, Major Hing said his goodbyes. "Well done fellas. Take care and give 'em Hell." He shook hands and climbed into the Helix. The tireless Major lifted a hand in farewell as the helicopter lifted off and disappeared into the inky blackness.

The colonel was back. "Follow me." He ordered. "I'll take you to your quarters and tomorrow you'll be taking a Phoenix FP-8 to your new units." Rei nodded and he and Xung followed the tall colonel back inside.

**Beijing Military airfield, China. 0900 hrs.**

The Phoenix FP-8 touched down on the wide concrete runway of the Beijing military airfield. A copy of the Yank B-52 Stratofortress, the FP-8 was China's cutting-edge bomber. It taxied to a halt and the rear ramp hissed down. A humvee arrived seconds later from the direction of the heavily-defended perimeter fence. It came to a halt and a well-rested Rei got out. Slinging his AK-74 over his shoulder, he trooped up the ramp with Sergeant Major Xung in tow. Rei skirted the two humvees parked in the cavournous hold and sat himself on one of the grey metal benches running up the side of the plane. Xung joined him. The huge FP-8 roared off the end of the runway and into the cold morning air. A mustachioed man in a dark suit approached from the direction of the cockpit. Holding out a hand to shake, the man introduced himself. "Kung Su. MSS. Pleased to meet you, Lieutenant Kon." The Ministry of State Security, or MSS, was China's feared secret security service. Rei shook the spy's hand and shook it vigourously. The agent smiled and headed off towards the cockpit. Xung leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. Rei fished in his pack for a moment and retreived his book, "Lie Down With Lions". Flicking to the last page that he had read, Rei happily immersed himself in the story. Xung snored softly as he fell asleep.

**Chinese airspace, 0945 hrs.**

Outside the lone FP-8 bomber, an Antonov A-11 stealth plane slid into position above the Phoenix. The A-11's cargo door whined open and a group of black-clad commandos moved into position, firing a magnetic clamp down onto the PLAAF bomber. It stuck just above the cockpit. The pilot didn't have time to realise how strange the sight of a passenger aircraft-sized thing appearing on his radar before the first enemy bullets smashed through the cockpit window and pierced his heart. Su, the MSS man, whipped a pistol from his suit and slipped through into the hold. Rei was already there, behind the door, with his 9 mm pistol cocked and ready.


	11. The Puppets Dance

**Chinese-North Korean Airspace. 0950 hrs.**

The commandos slid down their ziplines and smashed through the cockpit windows, shooting the copilot and landing, ready, in the large cockpit. The first black-clad commando put a burst of machinegun fire into the door and Rei recoiled, bits of the steel door flying off as the armour piercing rounds slammed through. Rei threw himself sideways as the enemy burst into the hold, weapons flaming. From the floor, Rei shot one. He fell sideways, blood spurting from his neck. The others turned, ready to end the Chinese Lieutenant's life. Luckily, Xung was up and ready, sending a hail of lead their way. One died and the others sought cover in the hold. There were seven left: two behind the first humvee, one, the leader, back in the cockpit, and the last four behind a row of parachutes. Rei was cornered in-between the two humvees but managed to blast another enemy as he fired a burst at Xung. Su, the MSS man, rose from behind the humvee where he had been sheltering with Xung. His pistol blazed once, twice, three times. Two commandos fell, lifeless, to the floor as the large bomber started to decend as the pilot slumped dead over the controls. The rearmost enemy stumbled backwards and Rei shot him. The leader shouted something in a language Rei did not understand. The commandos turned and went back through the door into the cockpit. The last one turned and fired a shot off at Rei. The Chinese soldier felt a searing pain as the bullet hit his shoulder. The impact threw him back against the fuselage. Su ran into the cockpit and Rei heard through the pain-filled haze the sound of a 9mm pistol emptying. The MSS agent came through the door as Xung crouched down beside Rei. "Are you all right, sir?" Asked Xung. "Can you move your arm at all?" Rei grunted and moved his arm slightly. It hurt like hell, but it still worked. Su came over to them and broke in. "Gentlemen, it's time we left. If you could grab a parachute we could still get out." Rei nodded, as did Xung. The Sergeant-Major helped Rei to his feet and the trio took parachutes from the rack.

Above the bomber, the stealth aircraft launched an AAM missile. It looped around and slammed into the bomber's wing, blowing one of the engines to smithereens . The bomber went into a sharp dive. Inside, the three Chinese were thrown to the floor. Rei gritted his teeth against the sudden wash of pain as he fell to the floor. Xung pulled him up again as Su hit the button to open the rear hatch. The hatch opened with a screech, as the mechanisms had been damaged by the missile. Su turned to Rei and asked: "Have you ever HALO jumped before?" Rei laughed despite their predicament and responded: "HALO? I've never even parachuted normally before!" Su blinked in surprise and explained hastily as a wave of acrid, choking heat rolled back from the cockpit. The smell of charred flesh was overpowering and the plane couldn't be that far above the ocean. "Pull the ripcord after 3 seconds and then, wait for another few seconds and then release your 'chute. Otherwise, you'll be tangled in it and drown. Got it?" Rei didn't have the time to answer as Su bundled him out of the hatch, then jumping out himself after waving Xung out also.

Wind. Water. Pain. Fear. That was what Rei Kon felt in the next several minutes as he and his comrades fell from the belly of the wounded FP-8 moments before it exploded against the water with an earth-shattering explosion and a billowing flame, towards the sea below. Wind as it whistled past his head while he was plunging toward the large expanse of blue below. Fear that the enemy would see and eliminate them like small insignificant bugs. Water, as he entered it at speed. Pain as the parachute blossomed over his head, jerking him back against the straps and as the salt water attacked his wounded shoulder. Rei's head broke the surface and he spat out a mouthful of water. Xung was swimming over to him with sure, steady strokes and Su was already heading towards the coastline, about half a mile away.

**Sinuiju Coast, North Korea. 0958 hrs.**

By some superhuman effort, Xung had half dragged, half pushed Rei through the near-freezing water until they had reached the rocky beach. By the time that Rei and his Sergeant-Major had reached the shore, Su had already built a fire and he ushered Rei over towards it, laying the injured Lieutenant down. He was very cold and was finding it hard to talk. Hypothermia was setting in. Xung heated some water for them as he warmed his hands and Su wrung the water from his socks before hanging them out to dry off. Rei was feeling better and started to rub some feeling back into his hands. He shivered and looked about the rocky beach. What a place! He shook his head and rose from his place, wincing as the cold air attacked his shoulder wound. He walked a short way down the beach, reflecting upon their current situation. How in the name of God were they going to get out of this? After walking a short way, he slumped down on a rock and put his head in his hands, his longish hair falling down over his shoulder.

Xung took first watch as Kung Su fell asleep, exhausted. Rei hadn't moved from his position on the rock. The SM walked over to him, his boots crunching on the shingle under his feet. The Lieutenant looked up. "Are you alright, sir?" Asked Xung as he stopped next to Rei. Xung alone had managed to keep his AK-74, as Rei had left his on the bomber. "I've been better, Xung. We're trapped God knows where, I've got a bullet wound in my shoulder, I have about a clip left for my pistol, Su has no ammo left, and you have...what, two clips for your AK? and two for your pistol? We're in a predicament all right. I don't even know where the Hell we are..." Xung shrugged and waved it off. "You've never let us down before, sir. And I din't think that you're about to start now." He headed back to the fire and Rei stood up. Xung was right. Time to stop feeling sorry for himself and start acting like a soldier. Suddenly, the _thwup-thwup-thwup_ of a helicopter's rotor blades broke the silence of the chill winter morning. Rei ducked in behind a large rock and Xung joined him a few seconds later. Su jerked awake and ran for cover. He was too late, however. An Mi-24 Hind helicopter rose over the cliffs and spotted the running figure. The Hind, a large, heavily armed gunship that had a double cockpit bubble that looked like a large, otherworldly bug, swooped down on him with surprising speed. The six-barrelled minigun on the "chin" belched flame and stiched a nasty curtain of lead in front of the running MSS agent's feet. He skidded to a halt and raised his hands in the air. The Hind dropped towards him. Rei couldn't just watch him be captured. He rose, feet planted firmly apart, and sighted down the barrel of his pistol. "No, sir..." warned Xung. The Lieutenant didn't listen and fired. The single kevlar-tipped bullet went straight through the cockpit canopy and out through the other side, via the gunner's brain. _Sprack!_ Brain fluid and blood sprayed over the cockpit bubble and the Hind turned on Rei and his SM. The Lieutenant ducked behind the rock as a missile lanced out from one of the stubby "wings", trailing a long white finger of smoke. It impacted against the side of the rock and blew it to smithereens, throwing Rei and Xung backwards. Xung hit his head against the ground and was knocked unconscious. Rei was winded and felt blood trickling down his left arm. He picked himself up and realised that he had lost his pistol. "Shit." He muttered and raised his hands as well. The Hind touched down and Rei saw, with an electric shock of recognition, the flag of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or North Korea, on the side. Heavily armed troops dropped from the chopper and covered him with AK-47s. Two ran to Su and shoved him, at gunpoint, into the Hind. The four who approached Rei all covered him with their weapons. Xung was hauled up and dragged towards the chopper. Rei braced himself and prepared to be pushed as well towards the helicopter. Instead, an NK rifle butt smashed into the side of his head and the world went black.

**Korean Demilitarized Zone South Side, 1058 hrs.**

Sergeant Max Tate, formerly of the Bladebreakers, sat behind a M256 120mm smoothbore gun in his M1A2 Abrams, watching the North Korean side of the border. Nothing had been done about the North Korean invasion of Japan. The United States of America had condemned it, of course, but didn't take any action for the moment, having enough trouble in Iraq to deal with. The troops in the south were put on red alert and that was why Max had been watching the NK border for the past 5 hours. Yawning and stretching, the young sergeant looked around the cramped space of the MBT. Next to him was the driver, Corporal Paul Smith, above him the commander, Lieutenant Ron Swansjovisk, and behind him the machine gunner/radio operator, Ian Tyrone. Smith smiled and offered a cigarette to the main gunner. Max thanked him and took it, lighting it with his silver Zippo lighter. Lieutenant Swansjovisk frowned at them, then relented and took one. In seconds thew were all puffing away. The part of the line where they were stationed was in a large base, with a 5 tonne truck parked a few meters away and another Abrams to the left, it's large gun aimed at the NK base a mile away. Max inhaled deeply, drawing the smoke into his lungs, then peered into the scope again. Still nothing. The sound of a helicopter came from behind them and Swansjovisk twisted his body round to see. "It's the mail, boys!" He said. He dropped into the tank and looked around. "Whose turn is it to go get it?" Max raised his cigarette. "Me." The tank commander moved aside and Sergeant Tate wormed his way out of the turret and jogged across the concrete towards the Black Hawk UH-60 helicopter as it touched down on the hard concrete of the base. Max reached it as the door opened and a soldier dropped out, weighted down with a bag full of post. Max picked it up and headed back to the tank. Climbing up to the turret, the bag slipped from his hands and letters and parcels spilled onto the cold ground. Max cursed and dropped off the tank's hull to grab the stuff up.

It was that that saved him. The sniper's bullet pinged off the Abram's hull and smacked into the ground. Max started and leapt into the tank. "Sniper!" He yelled, and every hatch in the two M1A2s was closed. Max traversed the turret, searching for a target. Nothing. A trail of smoke suddenly appeared from a hill to the southeast, the SK (South Korean) side of the border! "RPG!" Yelled Swansjovisk and Smith gunned the engine. The tank leapt forward, out of the base and towards the hill. The RPG slammed into the UH-60, ripping it apart. The second Abrams turned and fired a shell towards the hill. Max's tank was halfway up, almost there. It crashed through a ring of trees and came upon a natural clearing, surrounded on all sides by the forest. On one side a magnificent Buddhist temple stood, dating back to the 8th century. In the middle of the clearing stood a crude RPG site: two men with RPGs and a third with an RPK heavy machine gun. One of the RPG troopers was in the process of reloading and the other was aiming towards the Abrams and fired. The thin trail of smoke shot across the front of the lead Abrams, instead hitting the second one's engine. It disappeared in a ball of fire, destroyed in an instant, no hope of any survivors. "FIRE!" Screamed Swansjovisk. Max didn't have to aim the turret: It was already traversed low enough to blow the RPG site to Hell. He squeezed the trigger and the tank was jerked backwards as if it had been kicked by a giant boot. The 120mm shell slammed into the RPG site and it exploded into flame. There were no survivors. The Abrams slewed to a halt and the radioman, Tyrone, reported the situation to base. Max turned suddenly. "Sir! There was a sniper first off! Where is he?" The commander frowned and shrugged. "Wait for the G.I's. They're coming." Max shook his head. "The G.Is'll get massacred on that road if there's a sniper up there!" Without a further word, Sergeant Max Tate of the 42nd Tank Division clambered out of the protection of his tank and drawing his standard-issue Glock from his khaki tankman uniform, dodged into the temple.

Inside, the temple was lit only by a dim red glow from the candles at the far end. Max moved slowly forward, his pistol raised. Behind one of the pillars there came a noise, the sound of an assault rifle being cocked. Max whipped around, his Glock blazing. pieces of the ancient temple flew as the Glock's bullets pierced the wooden pillar and the man behind it. The man, who was dressed in black combat fatigues, slid from behind the pillar and thumped to the floor. Max went to the body and frisked it rapidly. Nothing, only a canteen with the hammer & sickle on it. Strange. He made his way down the temple to the candles and reloaded his pistol. Outside, The Abrams was idling until another RPG, this time from the rear of the temple, slammed into the tank and destroyed the treads on the left side. Lieutenant Swansjovisk, nervous, had reached the breaking point. He swung the turret around manually and fired. Because of his inexperience from handling a tanks main gun,he missed and brought the magnificent 1300 year-old temple to the ground, with Max still inside.

"Ohh..." Groaned Max as he rose to his feet in the wreckage of the temple. Fire was all around him. Retreiving his Glock, he staggered towards the silhouette of the Abrams, illuminated through the flames. As he passed one of the remaining pillars, a section of the roof collapsed, almost crushing him. Suddenly, a wooden rifle butt swung towards him. He ducked and it smacked into the pillar behind him.The sergeant turned and brought up his pistol, only to have it knocked aside by the SVD Dragunov held by his opponent. Max punched the enemy in the mouth, breaking several teeth, and then charged into him, bulldozing him into and through the weakened pillar. The two combatants fell to the floor. Max rolled away from the sniper, getting to his feet when he hit the wall. The sniper rose, still clutching his SVD. He levelled it and fired. The shot went over the american tankman's shoulder and raised a puff of dirt in the wall and Max kicked it out of his opponent's hands. He followed up with a haymaker that broke the enemy's cheekbone. He slammed the man to the floor. "Why did you try to kill me!" He shouted over the roar of the fire. "Идите к черту!" Responded the man in russian. "No I will not go to hell! Who the fuck sent you, you bastard?" The sniper sneered and spat blood into Max's face. "Very well." Said Max. He hauled the man up and suddenly held him over a pit of flames formed by the burning temple statues. "Tell me! Who sent you?" The sniper screamed as the flames creapt nearer. "Never!" He yelled in russian-accented english. Max held him down further. "All right! All right! It was the New Soviets! the New Soviets!" Max was astonished. "Who are they?" He asked. "A group of people who believe that Mother Russia should be Communist again! I was recruited in Georgia!" Max frowned. "Why are they after me?" The Georgian shook his head. "I don't know! They want all the members of the Bladebreakers dead..." Max was so shocked that he almost let him go. "Could it be... Voltaire? Who is your leader?" The sniper shrugged. I don't know the commander! We call him the Soviet! Only Boris-" Max cut him off. "Boris?" "It is the man who gives us our missions. We never see the boss. Only his voice is heard!" Max asked a final question. "Where is your base?" The Georgian hesitated. Max lowered him an inch lower and the flames started to char his back. "Iran! Iran! I swear! Sanandaj! In the Kurdistan province!" Max smiled and his natural good humor returned to the fore. "See? I can get you out n-" The Georgian suddenly jerked backwards and fell, his head blown off.

Max spun but could see no-one. The sniper's body began to burn fiercely. Max ran for the exit as the temple collapsed around him. He leapt through the fire as it consumed the last of the ancient temple. Sprawling on the ground, Max looked up into the barrel of an M16 as an american soldier helped him up. The damaged M1A2 was being towed away as the saddened crew looked on. Unfortunately, Paul Smith the driver had been killed when the RPG round had struck, slamming his head into the gearstick and driving it through his brain. Max limped over to the others and accepted their congratulations wearily. When the crew were making their way back towards the base in the back of a 5t truck, Sergeant Tate turned to the others. "Do you guys know anything about a place called Sanandaj in the Kurdistan province of Iran?" Ron Swansjovisk, the commander, shook his head. "No, but you could ask that CIA man back at base. Why?" Max smiled warmly. "Just wondering about something." _Yeah, wondering if I'm gonna survive this war..._

Above the temple, further up the hill, the man placed his PSG-1 in the back of the ambulance and got in, brushing the dirt off his paramedic uniform. _You've been lucky so far. It won't last, Max Tate. The same as the rest of your Bladebreaker friends. _The ambulance's engine rumbled into life and moved off down the hill, it's destination: the american base.

**Mt. Fuji Airspace, Japan. 1125 hrs.**

Tyson Granger rolled his MiG away from the burning pall of smoke that was Tokyo. Beneath his mask his mouth was in a straight line of anger and his gloved hands gripped the joystick tightly. He shot over the Mt. Fuji Base, just over treetop height. The Rising Sun on his wings was darkened with burns and damage. He had been in constant action for the past two days and seen the almost complete defeat of Japan's armed forces. His temporary controller on the ground, an infantry colonel, came over the radio. "Dagger 1, there is a convoy coming our way with supplies from Tokyo. Can you cover it on its' way in?" Tyson muttered back an affirmative and swept down low over the convoy, some 20 trucks carrying food, medical supplies, and the Japanese Imperial Family. Tokyo had been abandoned.

Tyson was distracted from this realisation by an insistant beeping sound... his radar. Damn! Seven hostiles. But he had to protect this convoy. He and his lone wingman would have to deal with it. The man in question was already engaging the enemies, MiG-23's by the look of things. Tyson pressed his targeting HUD and a green square appeared on thr Heads Up Display. It zeroed in on the closest enemy. A shrill _beeeeeep! _Notified him that he had a lock-on and his missile could be fired. Tyson didn't waste a second and pressed the firing button located on top of his joystick. The missile shot away from his MiG-29 and after the enemy. The MiG-23 "Flogger" that was his target was too preoccupied trying to nail Tyson's wingman, an older Flight Sergeant named Daishu. The missile smashed into the MiG's engine and it exploded spectaculary in midair. Daishu circled round and peppered another MiG-23 as it lined up for a strafing run on the convoy with 30mm cannon fire. The North Korean MiG turned on it's back and ploughed into the ground. "Yeehaww!" Yelled Daishu. Tyson dived, heading for the mountain. An NK fighter followed, firing with it's cannon. The shells whipped past his canopy, hitting the mountain and causing little puffs of snow as they hit. Tyson pulled up on his stick, and the fighter responded smoothly, shooting over the top of Fuji and over the clouds and into the blinding sunlight. He spun his fighter round to face his enemy, to catch him as he came through the cloud layer. The pursuing MiG blasted through the cloud layer at speeds of over 2,500 MPH. Tyson flipped the "lock-on" switch. It beeped almost immedietly. Great! He looked at his HUD. His goddamn missile had locked onto the sun! Tyson cursed and flipped the switch again. In this time the "Flogger" had rolled until it was under him. A white tongue of flame shot from the fighter's wing. An AAM! he pressed the countermesures button. The countermesure was a revolutionary concept: instead of just chaff, some advanced fighters, such as the MiG-29 or the SU-27, had the electronic countermesures. It basically recreated the fighter elsewhere and foxed the missile away to empty air. It worked! The AAM swerved away out of sight. Tyson whooped into his oxygen mask. His joy was to be short lived. The enemy MiG had given up on missiles and shot him with its' cannon. Tyson felt the controls go slack. "Daisu!" He yelled. "I could use a hand!" Daisu didn't respond. "Daisu? Are you there?" His wingman had been shot down and killed a few moments ago. When Tyson had lost his controls, he had lost his electronic countermesures. The NK pilot knew this and hit him in the belly with an AAM.

Fire erupted around him as the stricken MiG-29 plunged down through the clouds. Tyson's vision blurred as the Japanese fighter exited the cloud layer and the great white wall that was Mt. Fuji appeared before the canopy. Tyson's hand shot down to the eject lever and his head was snapped backwards as the fighter's canopy blew off and the Japanese pilot was thrown from the fighter. He blacked out for a few seconds. When he was jerked awake by the snap of the parachute opening, the MiG slammed into the side of Mt. Fuji and exploded.

Tyson was surprised at the sudden silence. He watched the ground rise towards him and suddenly heard the roar of the North Korean MiG as it flew right at him, helpless in his parachute! He saw his life flash past his eyes as Death stared at him in the face. At the last moment the MiG-25 rolled away, waggling it's wings and the pilot saluting him as he landed on the ground. He absorbed the shock and rolled, coming to his feet near a dead tree covered in snow. He whipped his pistol from his holster and sprinted for a destroyed house nearby. A soldier appeared and waved to him. "An airman, huh?" He chortled as he ushered Tyson through the house and into a truck. A few minutes later the Japanese truck pulled into the large base at the foot of the sacred Mt. Fuji and the Japanese soldiers, and Tyson, dismounted and headed for the command room. The infantry sergeant led Tyson into the small office to the commander, Colonel Kyoni Suzkua. Suzkua was a tall man, with a large bushy mustache and small, furrowed brows. He stood as Tyson saluted tiredly. "Flight Lieutenant Granger reporting for duty, sir." "At ease, Lieutenant." Rasped Suzkua. "We are to defend this base until the bitter end. The Imperial Family will be evacuated by the navy helicopters shortly. How well can you handle an M16?" Tyson frowned and answered: "Quite well, sir." The tall commander nodded grimly. "Good. You're going to need it."

**Mt Fuji Base, Japan. 1148 hrs.**

Tyson ducked as assault rifle bullets ripped into the wall beside him, disloging the masonry and shaking the soldiers inside badly. Tyson was in one of the two buildings at the gates of the Mt. Fuji Base, clutching an M16 and waiting for the NK soldiers to advance. It had started to snow, the white covering the landscape and softening the scenes of violence that were occurring as the Japanese Army started their desperate final stand. An NK squad made their way up the road towards the base under covering fire from their comrades sheltering in the frozen rice paddies to either side of the road. The tattoo of Kalashnikov bullets slackened and Tyson poked the muzzle of his rifle round the pitted and cracked windowframe and fired. The M16 kicked back against his shoulder and a North Korean soldier fell to the snow-covered road, blood clouding the air. The other members of the squad dived to the road and started to exchange fire with the entrenched Japanese. Tyson kept up his steady rythm of fire, duck, fire, duck, reload. The Korean soldiers were staying down, crawling slowly towards the gate. An M60 machine gun spat fire from it's position in the building beside Tyson. Tyson himself poked his gun over the edge of the window and fired off another few ronds, bringing down another enemy soldier. He recoiled backwards a few seconds later as a North Korean soldier shot back at him, blowing yet more chunks from the wall around him. Tyson stayed like that for a few moments, his blue-black hair in disarray. Popping out for a final time, he emptied his clip into the advancing enemy. Another two NK soldiers lives were ripped away and the remaining soldiers were happy the lie in the rice fields and behind the low wall of the guard post abandoned at the beginning of the battle. And still it snowed.

Tyson's sharp eyes caught the enemy fighters, dark shapes against the sky, before anyone else. "Aircraft!" He shouted, pointing to the NK MiG-21s as they roared overhead. He crouched down inside his building with the other soldiers as the MiG-21s circled round and opened fire with their 25mm cannons. The interior of the Japanese base was defenceless. Cannon shells ripped up the snow covered concrete and slaughtered any Japanese infantymen foolish enough to be out in the open. The Japanese garrison had 10 tanks at their disposal, and one of these rumbled out to the front gate and opened fire, annihilating a score of NK men. The soldiers withdrew hastily and called the MiGs round again. The Japanese tank was destroyed by one of the MiGs missiles, reduced to a heap of slag and blocking the entrance to the base. Tyson peered over the top as the North Korean Army returned in force, charging the base in human waves, backed up with tanks. Tyson could only fire so many bullets: despite having killed several and the M60 mowing down the soldiers before being destroyed, Tyson was ordered to tell the commander that the NKs were going to break through. Tyson nodded and jumped down the stairs and ran out the door seconds before the entire building was blown apart by the NK MiGs circling the area. The Flight Lieutenant stumbled across the yard towards the command bunker as a North Korean T-62 smashed through the rubble and raked the courtyard with machine-gun fire. Tyson ran full pelt for the bunker as bullets shredded the road around him. Skidding into the entry of the command bunker, he shoved his way through the door as the NK T-62 was destroyed by the remaining Japanese tank. No sooner had this happened a bloodcurdling cry split the air and the waves and waves of NK soldiers swarmed over the broken walls. The final Japanese tank had a tread blown off after firing only a single shot. The crew scrambled out of the hatches and Tyson stuck his M16 through the firing slit and fired off burst after burst at the advancing soldiers. One fell, his kneecap blown off, to the ground, screaming in pain. Another bullet caught one in the neck, choking him in his own blood. The North Koreans opened fire on the bunker and the entire front of it disappeared in a hail of dust and crumbling masonry. Tyson jerked backwards as he saw through the haze the tank crew gunned down, thrown to the ground like ragdolls, several bloody holes ripped into thier bodies. He sprinted through the bunker to the command section, where Colonel Suzkua was trying to reassure the Imperial Family. Tyson blanched and almost dropped to his knees, a throwback to the days of samurai and ingrained into his culture where the Emperor was the Son of Heaven. The Colonel led him away from Japan's worried leaders and spoke to him in a low voice, the green light from a nearby computer screen basking his tired face in an alien green glow. "Granger, the navy helicopters aren't going to get here. They've been destroyed." Tyson was struck dumb, almost as if it had been a physical blow. He rocked on his heels and slumped against the wall, closing his eyes. It was over. "What are we going to do, sir?" Asked Tyson worriedly. Suzkua shook his head. "The Imperial Family can only throw themselves at these animals' mercy." Tyson was horrified. "Sir, that's..." "Suicidal?" Finished the tall commander. "Perhaps, but they certainly will die if they stay here." His sentence was cut off as a huge explosion rocked the entire bunker. "Here they come." He said, fear in his eyes.

**Mt Fuji Base Command Bunker, Japan. 1226 hrs.**

The North Koreans blasted their way through the bunker in record time and in less than ten minutes had captured the last Japanese base in the the country. The Imperial Family had also been captured and even now were being transported back to Tokyo for processing. The commander had died bravely with his men, taking out several enemies with a final grenade that had incinerated his body as well as the officer in charge of the assault on the base. Never mind. In the eyes of Pyongyang, that was acceptable. Tyson Granger, the resourceful pilot, had escaped in the final minutes through the back door of the bunker, stealing a scout car and making his getaway. He could get his revenge at a later date. Driving on roads that only a select few knew about, he changed from his uniform into civilian clothes and dumped the vehicle, going back into the capital to do... what? He didn't know yet. Oh well. He had learned to trust his instincts.

**Tokyo, Japan. 1240 hrs.**

His Imperial Majesty The Emperor Akiho of Japan sat dejected in the back of a North Korean truck as it wove its' way through the ruins of Tokyo. Tall, modern apartment buildings had been gutted by flame and the walls were scarred with bullet holes. The bodies of brave Japanese soldiers littered the roads and were packed in the gutters like dirt. Akiho felt tears welling up but didn't cry. The sorrow of the nation was his sorrow. His wife, the Empress Michiko, was also sitting dejected and forlorn across from him with a hostile NK soldier on each side. The one good thing about the situation was that the remainder of the imperial family had been granted asylum in the United Kingdom. The convoy of NK trucks swerved into the couryard of the National Diet Building, the centre of Japanese politics. The Emperor and his wife were hauled from the truck and escorted through the impressive double doors already bedecked with the North Korean flag. The leaders of Japan were hurried through the hallways to the huge circular room where the delegates of the Japanese Diet were waiting anxiously, along with a 50-strong force of NK soldiers, spaced equally about the room. The Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, stood stiffly at the pedestral, a large raised stage below him and the North Korean flag draped behind him. The Emperor nodded to him and got no response. The NK soldiers pointed with their rifles to the stage. The meaning was clear. Emperor Akiho climbed the steps with a serene calm surrounding him. Michiko followed. The door banged open and a squat, evil-looking North Korean General came down. This was Kwon Ki-Chae, the mastermind of Operation FreeFall, the invasion of Japan and the destabilisation of the worlds stock markets. He waddled up the steps and stared at the Emperor and Empress. He had small, finely sculpted eyebrows, a crooked nose, and ice-blue eyes. The eyes were vacant and cold. Uncaring eyes. And in that second, Emperor Akiho knew his fate. General Ki-Chae motioned Abe to get off the pedestal. The Prime Minister hurriedly complied. Ki-Chae let his eyes sweep the room, took in the battle damage and the pale, scared faces of the Japanese Diet members. He motioned with his hand and the video camera installed in the area for TV coverages ficked on. Ki-Chae began to speak, his nasal voice setting everyones teeth on edge. "Citizens of the People's Democratic Republic of Korea, I speak to you from the National Diet Building in Tokyo, Japan. Today the brave and noble soldiers of our nation have accomplished a great victory over the puppets of capitalism!" He threw his arms in the air in joy. "The last vestiges of imperialism will be swept from this land and the just and true men and women of socialism will reign supreme!" He lowered his arms and motioned to the Imperial leaders standing beside him, tired and haggard. "From their golden nest we have ripped them, as the workers' starved in the streets and died in poverty! Now they will answer for their crimes!" He turned to them as the North Korean anthem played over the broadcast. "You, Emperor Akiho of Japan, stand ready to answer for your crimes?" The Emperor looked up calmy and spoke, his voice resonating with honour and integrity. "You are but an agent of a great evil. There will be no rest for you until you answer for your acts. Fear your _kami, _General. Fear it. Those who deserve to die die the death they deserve." Ki-Chae wasted no words. The pistol came up and his Imperial Majesty Emperor Akiho smiled as he realised the meaning of the spanish saying _Morir por la patria es vivir," "_To die for the motherland is to live" . The pistol flamed, jerked back. The Emperor's head snapped back, blood spiralling through the air for what seemed an eternity. Akiho fell to the wooden stage in front of his wife, the eyes of the nation, the eyes of the Gods. His eyes were closed and, if not for the small round hole in his forehead, he could have been sleeping. Empress Michiko stood stock still as the NK General's gun turned on her. She made no sound as she died. Her eyes were on her husband as her vision dimmed and went black.


	12. Aggressive Negotiations

**London, England. local time 1502 hrs.**

**The Times, the 5th of Feb. 2004. Extract.**

_Japan capitulates as Vietnam sues for peace with the Chinese government._

_In a bloody and unprovoked attack, North Korea has invaded and completely subdued Japan. This completely unexpected act has thrown the world so off balance that China has halted it's own attack on Vietnam. Vietnam's leaders are using this opportunity to sue for peace with the Chinese government. Deng Xiaopen, the Chinese Premier, accepted and China has agreed to withdraw from Vietnam as soon as the present crisis with Japan is resolved. The People's Liberation Army got as far as the capital, Hanoi, and captured it shortly after midday yesterday. As for Japan, no news has come from the Prime Minister or the Emperor. Knowing the brutality of North Korea's army, _The Times_ has reason to be worried._

The British paper was closer to the truth than it knew. The Prime Minister, Stephen Hawk, hadn't released the news of the Emperor's brutal execution yet. He didn't feel the time right. Rising from his desk in No.10 Downing Street, he contemplated the portrait of Sir Winston Churchhill across from him. Hawk picked up the phone on his desk and spoke briefly into it. In exactly seven minutes and twelve seconds, there came a buzz on his intercom button. It was his secretary. "Sir Quentin for you, sir." "Send him in, Sarah." He said, turning to the window again. The door to his office opened and shut with a quiet click. Prime Minister Hawk turned and found himself looking at a small, compact, almost bald middle-aged man wearing golden-rimmed glasses. "Sir Quentin," He said in a rush, "Thank you for coming so quickly." Sir Samuel Quentin's eyes narrowed, worried. "I am at your disposal , Mr Prime Minister. What is wrong?" Hawk started to pace to and fro in front of the window. Sir Quentin had never seen him so nervous, and Sir Quentin had known the PM for a long time. Hawk turned and addressed his old friend directly. "I've decided to do something about the Japan situation. If our gallant American cousins can't or won't do it, we will." Sir Quentin looked puzzled, but only for a moment. "Then you are going to impose econom... ah. You mean a "quiet" intervention?" "quiet" was politic-speak for "black ops". "Yes." Said Hawk firmly. "We have no choice. The Americans have abandoned Japan, their ally since WWII. We cannot, I cannot, be seen to do that. How soon can your boys be in on it?" Sir Quentin, head of MI6, the British Secret Service, thought for a moment. "Well, we have an agent in South Korea. I could try to smuggle him in if you wish." Hawk thought for a second. "Do it." He said. "And find out how the Hell we can stop this maniac." Stephen Hawk had no idea how deep this conspiracy ran.

**Sanandaj, Iran. local time 1825 hrs.**

Boris Grishiyenko tuned in the large radio set as black-clad soldiers hurried round him, going about their tasks with a quiet purpose. These were men who had a dream, a dream of socialist Russia rising again. These men where for the most part poor people to start off with, whom Boris had recruited with honeyed words and false promises. These men where ready to die for a cause that didn't even exist. Voltaire and Boris were using them just like they had used everybody else. Boris pushed these thoughts aside as his boss came through from North Korea. "What is it? I'm busy." Snapped The Soviet. Even from thousands of miles away he could instill fear and respect. Boris kept it short. "Max is still alive, We have lost sight of Kai, Tyson, and Kenny." Voltaire grunted. In the years that Boris had known him, he had never sworn once. "Never mind. They shall not escape. Keep me posted." With that he was gone. Boris set the reciever down, somewhat surprised. He had expected at the very least a tongue lashing. Nothing. What, wondered Boris as he went down the steps to his private jet, could preoccupy Voltaire so much that he brush off the loss of 3 of his targets?

**Korean People's Army HQ, Changgwang Street, Pyongyang, North Korea. 1500 hrs.**

Rei was roused from his unconsciousness by a bolt of freezing-cold water to the face. He jolted upright, shaking his head to try to clear it. His long hair was hanging over his shoulder and down in his lap, on his dirty Chinese khaki military fatigues. He tried to move. No use, he was tied to a sturdy wooden chair in a bare concrete room. A single lightbulb, bare, illuminated the small room and the brownish stains of what Rei took to be dried blood on the wall. Oh dear. His shoulder was aching and as he tried to move a little, he recieved a sharp, stinging blow to the face. He looked round at his assaliant. It was a North Korean sergeant, with a large nose and bloodshot eyes. His uniform was spotless ans without a crease in it. Shit. A pen-pusher, a bully. Just great. He averted his gaze and concentrated on the floor. The next blow he didn't see coming. It knocked the chair over and Rei spat out a mouthful of blood. The NK sergeant barked an order and two more soldiers came into the room and picked him up from the floor. He felt the bonds come away and was hauled to his feet and held between the two NK men. The sergeant punched him in the stomach. Rei coughed up blood again. Then the North Korean man started with his size 12 hobnailed boots, driving one into Rei's privates. He vomited, almost caching the NK sergeant. He drove another fist into Rei's face. The Lieutenant reeled back, his blood splattering the soldier beside him. An order was shouted and Rei was dragged out of the room and down the hall to another, obviously a cell. The soldiers opened the cell door and threw him in. He sprawled on the floor for a few seconds, then mastered enough strengh to drag himself to the cot in the corner before falling unconcious again.

**South Pyongan Province, North Korea. 1600 hrs.**

Kai Hiwatari pressed smoothly down on the accelerator and the Lada leapt forward down the road. He turned to the back seat and peeled off his VPA uniform, reavealing that of a NK policeman. The road streched off into Pyongyang in the distance, a cluster of lights to the south. He passed the military checkpoints with no problem and soon found himself in the imposing North Korean capital, with it's broad, straight avenues and tall apartment blocks. He knew exactly where he was. Kim Yong-Il's magnificent palace rose above all else. But that wasn't Kai's objective. He parked the dark-brown Lada beside the Juche Tower, symbol of North Korea's power. He got out of the car and walked unhurriedly to the nearest bus station. Stepping up onto the bus, he lost himself in the crowd that stampeded onto the worn-down vehicle. It moved off down the road and Kai reached onto his pocket and flicked a switch on a small grey box. The Lada was disintegrated as a powerful bomb in the boot detonated. The explosion immersed the Juche Tower in a wall of flame, before cracking. The city seemed to hold its' breath as it swayed, swayed... and fell, slamming into the square and raising a huge cloud of cement dust. Kai smiled inwardly as the people around him panicked. _A diversion, indeed._

**Korean People's Army HQ, Changgwang Street, Pyongyang, North Korea. 1630 hrs.**

Kai stepped into the North Korean military's HQ wearing the uniform of a brigadier. The guards at the desk snapped to attention and rapped out: "Brigadier, sir!" Kai waved them away and took in the almost empty reception area. "I presume that everone is out looking for the terrorists that destroyed the Juche Tower?" The guards nodded. "How many people are here then?" He asked. "There is about 25 people left. Some up here, but the majority are downstairs in the interrogation block. We captured a few terrorists today." Kai nodded and then frowned. "I would like to see them." The guard corporal, much to Kai's surprise, shook his head. "Can't do that, sir. Orders from General Io himself." Kai nodded and turned for the door. "Oh, and one last thing..." He said and turned with a silenced pistol in his hand. It flamed once, twice. The corporal was thrown to the floor and the second sat in the chair with a surprised expression at the bullet hole in his chest. He died like that. Kai wasted no time and frisked the corporal for anything. Bingo! a keycard for the lower levels. Casting a final glance round the blood-splattered entrance hall, he jogged off down the hall towards the stairs to the lower levels.

Rei was dragged upright in the cell where he had been beaten before. The NK sergeant walked in again and punched Rei in his wounded shoulder. The Chinese Special Forces Lieutenant screamed as pain wracked his slim form. The sergeant laughed and punched him again, this time in the face. More blood. Suddenly a barked order stopped the sadistic game. The North Korean dropped his fist and obeidiently stood aside. The door opened and in walked a stern-faced, grey haired russian man. Voltaire. "What the Hell?!" Gasped Rei, and Voltaire smiled. "Hello Rei, or should I say, Lieutenant Kon? You've come up in the world since I last saw you. How do you like my new offices?" He motioned to the building around him. "Of course, mine are a little better furnished. So, what are you going to say now? Hmm? The typical "You won't get away with this!", I bet. No? Well, I'm not going to play the steryotypical arch-villan and explain my diabolical plan to you. And no, I don't want to know who you work for. I already know. How did you get here? Well, all I did was pay the pilot of the FP-8 to veer a little off course. He was killed, I understand. Pity, but accidents do happen." Rei shook his head in disbelief. "My God, you are stupid. If China finds out that you have us, the Peoples Army cannot protect you..." He was cut off as Voltaire said something an the NK sergeant punched him again. "You idiot. Why do you think that China attacked Vietnam in the first place? Me. I planted the idea in their stupid little minds. To divert them from Japan and my objectives." He turned and said something to the sergeant, who left the room. Voltaire turned back to the soldier and laughed. " Dae is my favorite soldier. He is a cruel man and does not hesitate to do what needs to be done. I , too, am a cruel man who does not hesitate. I will kill you without you knowing the fate of your country or of your friends. But first I will torture you. Not because I want any information from you. I simply want to see you _suffer._" Sergeant Dae came back through the door with a tray bearing different items. Voltaire turned and took one. A narrow, curved blade with a wicked serrated blade. Without further ado, the russian plunged the blade into Rei's wounded shoulder. White hot! Blinding! Rei screamed again as Voltaire pulled the blade out and handed it back to the smirking Dae. Taking a poker from it, he plunged in into a brazier at his feet. Rei swallowed nervously as the end turned white and the russian pulled it out. With a wicked smile, Voltaire pressed the white hot metal onto Rei's chest. Rei couldn't even scream, the pain was so great. Tears of pain streamed down his cheeks. Voltaire pulled it away, breathing hard. The sadist was really enjoying this. Rei started to cry softly. He didn't want to die, not like this. He wasn't afraid of death on the battlefield, but to die like a rat in a trap, in such pain... Voltaire boomed with laughter at Rei's tears. "Now, are you ready to die? But I won't let you. Not yet. Not until you BEG!" He smashed the white-hot poker into the young man's waist, relishing in the ragged shout of pain that it ripped from his throat. He was starting to sweat. This wouldn't do. He would leave him for now. Dropping the poker, he picked up a whip and lashed Rei's exposed chest and face until he drew blood. By that time, the Lieutenant was unconsious. Voltaire composed himself and set the things down. "Take him away." He ordered in Korean. "But make sure he isn't damaged." With that he turned and left. Rei was thrown back into the cell where he had been previously. He was still out cold.

**1640 hrs.**

Kai ran full pelt down the cement corridor, his footsteps echoing loudly off the walls and ceiling. Turning left, he ran past an office with three NK soldiers in it. One raised himself off the chair only to be blown out of it by Kai's AK-47 bullets. The others were quicker, blasting at Kai as he dived behind the wall for cover. Kai assessed it all in a second, then did something that shocked the North Korean soldiers. Throwing himself from cover, he took the head off one as he slid across the floor. Jumping to his feet, he launched himself across the table at the NK man, knocking him back before sticking his combat knife into the man's throat and slashing it open. He left the man dieing in a pool of his own blood.

Voltaire heard the gunfire down the hall and jerked his head round, motioning to Dae. "Go and kill Kon." He ordered. The sergeant nodded and unslung his AK-47 before running off down the hall towards the cells.

**1655 hrs.**

Kai burst the cell door open and stepped in to rescue Rei. The Lieutenant was tied to a chair, his arms drawn behind him so tightly that the blood had stopped flowing to them. Kai snapped the bonds and hoisted Rei over his shoulder before turning to leave. Rei was semi-concious. "Xung... get him.." He whispered through chapped lips. Kai carried him down the hall to the other cells, until he saw a chinese sergeant in one of the cells. Blowing it open, Kai stepped in and offered his hand to help him up. He bore no signs of maltreatment, unlike Rei who was beaten and bloodied. "You must be Xung. Come on,quick! I'll get you out of here." Xung nodded and suddenly cried "Look out!" Kai threw himself instictively sideways and the burst that had been meant for him slammed into the wall instead. Dae realigned his AK-47 to fire again, but Xung leapt forwards and slammed a fist into the sergeant's face. He stumbled back and Xung followed up with a scissor kick to the head, knocking Dae back. The North Korean was faster than expected and smashed the butt of his Kalasnikov into Xung's face. He turned his AK-47 round to shoot him... when a combat knife embedded itself in-between his eyes. He fell to the ground and died quickly. Kai spun to see who had done it... "Did you miss me, Kai?" Said Rei Kon as he picked himself off the floor with a little difficulty. Xung went to him and supported him as he limped down the hallway towards the exit.

**1705 hrs.**

Outside the HQ, Voltaire got into the back of a large black limosine. It swept away from the KPA HQ towards the Intl. Airport and Voltaire's plane. He took out a satellite phone and dialled Boris' number. "It's me. I've found Kai. He came to rescue Rei. He must have got over the amnesia... yes, Rei too. I know... do you have him prisoner? Good. No, don't kill him yet. These people are more resourceful than I thought. Keep him alive." The russian terminated the call and looked out the window, brooding. Damn it. He had let his anger get the better of him and he had tried to torture Kon instead of just killing him. A big mistake. Never mind. The North Koreans could no doubt do the job for him.

**Korean People's Army HQ vehicle park, Changgwang Street, Pyongyang, North Korea. 1715 hrs.**

Rei Kon burst through the door, AK-47 blazing. The two NK soldiers guarding the park were taken by surprise, and one went down in a spray of blood. The second dodged behind one of the cars and Rei poked his stolen AK round the side of the car and put burst into the enemy. He was thrown backwards, sending a burst into the ceiling from his AK-47 as his nerveless finger tightened on the trigger. The three escapees looked round, determining what to do. Xung perked up as an idea hit him. "Sir, why don't we blow up the place with that fuel over there?" Rei turned and nodded. "Good idea." Kai jumped into a North Korean BTR-152 with a 50. cal machine gun on the back. Rei clambered in the back, wheezing in pain from his burns and bruises. settling himself at the MG, he checked the mag. Full load and a few boxes round him. Xung came running. "Go! Go! The place is going to blow!" He leapt on the back of the armoured truck and Kai, who had hot-wired the thing, floored the accelerator. The BTR smashed through the barrier and into the street. Behind them the Korean People's Army HQ exploded spectaculary in a hail of fire and rubble. The BTR-152 accelerated along the main highway north, heading for the border with China.

In a military base on the outskirts of Pyongyang, the red alert sounded, sending the soldiers inside into a state of panic. They raced outside to their vehicles to intercept the escapees.

Rei was undergoing a transformation on the back of the speeding BTR-152. After Xung had injected his superior with morphine to allay the pain, memories were returning to the lieutenant. "Kai?" He whispered, half to himself. "I... remember! Kai! My friend!" Kai handed over the wheel to Xung and embaced Rei like the long-lost comrade that he was. "When did you remember?" Rei asked. Kai shrugged. "I think it was after that MiG nailed me in that warehouse. I don't know how it happened." Rei shook his head in wonder.

Xung shouted back to the other two. "Heads up! We got company!" Kai leapt up from the floor and manned the MG as two lightly-armoured scout cars raced ontp the road behind them. Kai opened fire straight away, blowing one of the cars off the highway. Rei cheered and hoisted himself up with an AK cradled in his arms, opening fire on the second car at the same time as Kai. The car shuddered under mutiple hits then exploded savagely. Rei punched the air with a wild rebel yell. Kai grinned as another BTR-152 open-topped armoured personnel carrier accelerated to catch up with them, it's 50. cal spitting AP bullets at them. Kai yelped as bullets whisled round him and pinged off the armoured vehicle. Swinging round, he put a burst into the man manning the MG. He disappeared out of sight in a cloud of blood. Rei joined in, laying down a curtain of AK-47 fire that almost killed the driver. He accelerated, ramming into the back of Kai's. Xung grunted and rammed him back. The North Korean vehicle came close and Rei shot one of the soldiers at the side at point-blank range. The soldier at the back leapt over onto the rear of Kai and Rei's BTR and slammed his rifle butt into Kai's face, knocking the warrior back off the gun mounting. Rei moved to shoot him, but the NK soldier lunged at him with a bloodcurling cry. Rei's AK was knocked overboard and he lashed out with his boot, catching the enemy in the chest. He was knocked back but moved forward rapidly, pulling a long knife from his belt with a wicked _scrriik!_ He thrust out, seeking to skewer Rei, but the Chinese was too fast, dodging aside and driving a knee into the man's ribs, sending him to the floor. Rei followed up with a boot to the face, sending the enemy slamming into the side of the drab-green BTR. He was fast, though, and was on his feet in seconds, the knife again ready to strike. The two opponents eyed each other warily as the two vehicles bumped and jolted along the road that streched off into the distance, jolting the two opponents back and forth. The North Koreans in the other BTR started cheering him on as the two vehicles roared off the highway and onto a two-lane road that snaked up round the coastline. Kai got up, dazed, and the soldier lunged at him. Rei threw out a forceful kick, catching the enemy in mid-air. He fell to the floor in a heap as Xung shunted the enemy BTR again, scraping it against the crash-barriers, leaving bits of paint on the uniform grey. The NK soldiers were clearly bored with the sport now, opening fire again. Xung rammed them again, for a final time. The BTR crashed through the barrier and seemed to hang in space for an eternity, before plunging to the sea below. The remaining soldier charged Rei with a yell. In a smooth move Rei dropped to the floor, kicked the charging man in the stomach and using his leg as leverage, lifted him off his feet and hurled him out of the BTR-152 and over the edge. His scream was cut off as he hit the rocks far below. Rei looked over the edge for a second, wincing. He then slumped down as the exertions caught up with him, taxing his wounds. Xung slid another syringe of morphine back and Kai stuck it into Rei's arm. The commando looked up at him in gratitude as the painkiller took effect and he drifted off to sleep. "Damn." Swore Xung from the front as the BTR swept off the coast road and headed through the countryside. "What is it, sergeant?" Asked Kai, instanlty worried. Xung took a second before replying. "Almost out of fuel. We can only get to about 25 miles from the North Korea/China border." Kai slammed a clenched fist into his palm. " Are there any NK bases round here?" "Yes, about 8 miles away. A large airfield. I helped build it." Kai thought a second. "Take us there. You and I are going to get ourselves some fuel."

**Pyoktong Military Airfield, North Korea. 2200 hrs.**

Night had fallen. The BTR-152 was concealed behind a clump of trees half a mile away from the NK airbase. Kai smeared his face with camouflage paint, and motioned for Xung to check him over, then did the same for him. The airbase was alight, and a flight of MiG-21's had just taken off for a night patrol, roaring over their heads and off into the night. "Okay." Said Kai in a whisper, "Let's go over this one last time. You go for the power station on the..." "East side." Completed Xung. "Good. Then, when the power is down, you go for the hospital and grab some morphine packs and bandages for Rei. OK? Then I'll go for the fuel, we'll meet at the main hangar, blow up some of the MiGs down there, then get the Hell out. Comprendo? We have to be quick, ruthless, and deadly. Those bastards have to think we have an entire brigade up their asses. Right?" "Right." Confirmed Xung, and the duo crept down the hill towards the airbase as Rei slept on in the back of the hidden BTR-152. The front of the airbase was covered by two searchlights held above the road by watchtowers. An armed guard stood in each, waiting, watching. Kai crawled forward until he was just outside the seachlight perimeter and concealed himself behind some bushes beside the road. He saw Xung's shadow as it flitted across the road. He settled down to wait as his breath materialized in the air around him. It was cold.

Xung threw himself flat as a North Korean jeep rumbled past the perimiter fence, on patrol. The Sergeant-Major knew the layout well. Pulling a sturdy pair of wire-cutters from his pack, he cut through the fence, keeping an eye out for the enemy the whole time. In a few seconds, he had cut enough and wriggled his way through. He was inside! He scrambled across the frozen ground and lay against the side of a building, in the shadows. A pair of North Korean soldiers strolled past, AKs at port arms. Xung let them pass, then slipped furtively from his building and crept to another, a mess hall. pulling his pistol from its' holster, he held it next to his ear in a ready stance before moving along the side towards the runways. Keeping to the side, he was presented with a dilemma. How could he cross the runway? He looked round for a second before coming to a solution. The mess hall! He moved to the door and eased it slowly open. No-one in the storeroom. He slipped in and searched for a second. Nothing. Damn. He was about to leave when a fat cook came bustling in, whistling. He stopped suddenly as he spotted Xung, his tubby face almost comical. Less comical was the pistol that he was straining to unholster. Xung wasted no time. He was swift, and deadly. He kicked out with a perfectly timed and balanced foot, hitting the fat man in the chest. The SM heard a loud _crack!_ as the cook's sternum broke, stopping his heart. Xung stripped the man and stuffed him into his own freezer. In seconds Xung became Corporal Hwan Hu-Ki. He walked boldly out the main double doors of the mess hall and started across the runway towards the power station at the far side.

"Come on, dammit!" Cursed Kai to himself as the minutes ticked by.

Xung was halfway across the runway when a shout stopped him. "Look out!!!" Xung half-turned, and his eyes widened in horror as the two MiG-21s bore down on him. He dived headlong out of the way as the two aircraft roared by, inches away from him. He picked himself up and started to sprint towards the power station at full speed. The soldier who had shouted to him frowned in bewilderment. He had never seen "Happy" Hu-Ki, as the men called him, run so fast. Then Hu-Ki turned and the soldier realised with a jolt: _That wasn't Hu-Ki! _He never realised anything else, however; two 9mm slugs to the chest do that to a person.

Xung pushed open the door to the power station and dodged inside. Dropping to his knees he pulled out the final item; two packs of NK plastic explosive. He stuck them to the rearmost generator as a squad of NK soldiers burst through the doors, guns ready. Xung ran out the back door as they charged round, looking for him. He skidded to a halt outside the hangars and pressed the detonator. A huge _boooom!_ rent the night and a fireball rose to the sky as the generators went up. A second, smaller explosion occured as one of the taxiing MiGs that had almost killed the SM was caught in the radius.

The lights went out and Kai was up and running. Grabbing an RPG from where he'd left it, Kai fired it at the main gates. They blew apart, tumbling to the snowy ground. The guards in the towers were as surprised as the rest. In a few seconds they were surprised and dead, as Kai sent another RPG into the guard towers. They, too fell to the ground, like an old man going to meet his maker. Then Kai whipped out his AK-47, and blazed away. Empty shells and clips fell beneath his booted feet as he fired all of one clip, then another. Soldiers came at him from all sides, But Kai was too fast. He spun on his heel, nailing one as he came from the barracks. Another charged at him from the hangars. He, too, went down. Kai slid smoothly to a halt inside the hangar. Scanning the area, he grabbed up 2 petrol cans and headed back to the exit. Suddenly a shout came from the power station. He turned. A bloody North Korean officer stood with his pistol jammed into the side of Xung's head. "Drop the weapon." He said in accented mandarin. The light from the burning MiG gave the scene an otherworldly, surreal feeling. Kai hesitated, and Xung cried: "Get the Hell out of here! Tell China!" The NK officer pistol-whipped him and Xung arched his back from the blow. He suddenly reversed the blow and slammed his elbow into the man's stomach. He jerked backwards, and Kai yelled, "Drop!" Xung let himself go limp and as he dropped Kai fired. The officer went down and Xung raced for the exit. "Let's go!" Kai spun and followed.

Rei was awake and waiting for them. "What took you so long? Not bad, by the way." Kai slapped him on the back and ignited the engine. The BTR-152 raced away from the ruins of the North Korean airbase. Inside, one thing stirred. Major Gung Li-Xungu picked himself from the floor, blessing the body-armour that had saved him from Kai's bullets. He wiped the blood from his face and swore revenge.

**Near the Yalu River, North Korean-Chinese border. 2245.**

Kai, Rei, and Xung were on top of the world as they sped across the silent North Korean countryside towards the Chinese border. Only a few more miles! Kai heard behind them the roar of jet engines. Shit! He swerved off the road as cannon shells struck around them from MiG-29s that seemed to have come from nowhere. Kai gulped and resumed his bumpy ride across the country towards the Yalu River. Rei manned the MG and hammered 50. cal bullets at it. Some hit, but the NK MiG swooped away, only to return a second later. Rei was running low on ammo. He had only one chance. The MiG-29s nose came down again, this time launching an ATS missile this time. Rei swerved the MG round and stitched the area round the bottom of the plane.The missile exploded before even leaving the rack, and annihilated the plane in mid-air. The wreckage ploughed into the ground just behind the fleeing BTR-152. The vehicle tipped over, throwing Rei, Xung, and Kai to the marshy ground underneath it. Rei landed on his good shoulder and rolled; Kai landed facefirst in a pool of water, and Xung landed soflty on his stomach in some mud. Rei leapt up, wincing from the lack of morphine. He hobbled over to the downed BTR and pulled out an armful of AKs. He handed one to Xung, who was shaking his head to clear it. Kai got one too. Suddenly an Mi-8 Hip transport chopper flew over and dropped about 10 yards away. The BTR was in a slight depression, on it's side. Rei lay down with the top half of his chest over the lip, next to the BTR. Kai crouched, poking his AK-47 over the lip of the bonnet. Xung set himself down next to Rei. The chopper disgorged 30 troops. The North Koreans were moving slow and confident: too confident. The trio knew that they had hardly any chance of survival. Rei smiled crookedly, a friendly middle finger at Death; Xung cocked his weapon determidly; and Kai raised a sardonic eyebrow. They were professional enough to leave it at that.

Rei let rip. Kai opened up, as did Xung. NK troops fell with legs, stomachs, arms ripped open. The rest charged. Rei shot down two, Kai two, and Xung five with a grenade. They kept firing until their ammunition was exhausted, which didn't take long: they had one clip each. The NK troops captured them and ordered them to kneel. Rei went down, his hands behind his head. What a way to go, he thought... A shot rang out, and Rei tensed. But it wasn't him! He was still alive! Antother volley of shots rang out and the North Korean soldier behind Rei jerked round in the _danse macabre_. Rei was up in a second and grabbed the Kalashnikov from the corpse and shot the man in front. He groaned and was flung to the floor with huge bleeding holes ripped in him. The night sky was pierced with the three soldiers' shouts of joy as they hugged each other in glee from their close call. And watching over them was a Peoples Liberation Army Helix II, with a friendly gunner waving at them as they came into land. Rei's wounds were momintarily forgotten as the Chinese gunner pulled him aboard. They had done it! They had escaped from North Korea!


End file.
